While a short summer break allowed Fernando Alonso to recharge his batteries before embarking on his final months as an Alpine driver, he will be racing for Aston Martin for the next two seasons. And at 41, Alonso does not feel ready to leave the world of Formula One, let alone the world of motor racing. His retirement will depend on one thing according to the Spaniard. 

In 2021, Fernando Alonso returned to Formula 1, three years after his departure from McLaren, to refresh himself and take on other challenges in the world of motor sport. During this break, the Spaniard completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indy 500 and the Dakar. Experiences that have left their mark on the two-time Formula 1 world champion, as he revealed on his Instagram account.

“El Plan was to return to F1. After 18 years in F1, I took two years away from the pinnacle of motorsport. I did the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indy 500, the Dakar… It was enriching both professionally and personally” said Alonso.

Back in F1 for the past two years, where he has been driving for Alpine, Fernando Alonso had directly announced a plan which turned out that it wasn’t for the Alpine team, but rather for the rest of his own career. For the next two seasons, Alonso will no longer be sitting in the Alpine seat, but in the Aston Martin seat.

“Now, with the signing for two more years with another team, you renew your dreams or aspirations a little bit and I hope it works out well.”

Fernando Alonso, who is ranked 10th in the overall drivers’ championship, has been able to take a break since the last Grand Prix.

“The holidays are over now. It’s long overdue. We have a very busy schedule. My batteries are recharged”. says Alonso,

Asked to comment on the next step, the 41-year-old Fernando Alonso admitted that he had no strong desire to retire and enjoy his well-deserved retirement – quite the opposite.

“I have not calculated anything. Sport is our life, it always has been, since I was a child. We are not going to work until we are 65. You try to enjoy your time here as much as you can,

“When I left F1, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was exhausted by all the commitments that driving requires and now, in this new phase, I don’t have that stress and fatigue.”

And as for a potential age limit for permanently exiting a Formula 1 car, Fernando Alonso said it would depend on his state of mind, but that it might not happen soon.

“I am fresher. I can’t say how much longer I will be in F1. After F1, there are other categories of motor racing that are not as demanding. (…) I will never retire from motor sport, but from the most demanding sport it will be sooner,

“I will leave F1 when I see that it does not make me happy, but for the moment it is the opposite”. 

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