Fernando Alonso is known inside the paddock to be one of the canniest Formula One drivers on the grid, and yet to an outsider his career decisions may appear at times to have been strange. Fernando won both his F1 driver titles with Renault (2005/6) then surprisingly left to join McLaren alongside rookie Lewis Hamilton.

The switch proved to be an inspired choice by Fernando, with the only problem being he left the team a year early as in 2008 Lewis Hamilton won his first F1 drivers’ championship` alongside Fernando’s replacement Heikki Kovaleinen.

 

 

 

Alonso’s F1 journey

Alonso returned to Renault after a disastrous year at McLaren but his time proved fruitless and so the Spaniard accepted an offer from Ferrari for the 2010 season. Unfortunately for Fernando this move coincided with Renault and Red Bull conspiring to build a dominant car and engine package which proved to be all conquering for the next four seasons until the end of the F1 V8 era.

Yet despite the Red Bull dominance, Fernando headed into the final race of 2010 eight points clear of Sebastian Vettel having clawed back a 47 point deficit mid season. Yet Ferrari made a mistake on Alonso’s strategy calls which saw him stuck behind Vitaly Petrov for much off the race, coming home just seventh and with Vettel winning in Abu Dhabi he claimed the title from under Ferrari and Fernando’s nose.

Fernando was runner up to Vettel in 2012 and 2013, but his relationship with Ferrari Bega to publicly cool as the belief inside him grew the Scuderia were not capable of producing a championship winning chariot for him to ride.

Spain’s F1 hero agreed to leave Ferrari a year before his contract was due to expire and Alonso gambled it was the right time to return to McLaren now his nemesis Lewis Hamilton had left for Mercedes. The Woking based team had renewed the successful partnership with Honda which saw the team become the second most successful in F1 history. But Honda were late to the V6 turbo hybrid power unit party, and the incremental years Mercedes had spent in R&D on their V6 offering swiftly became evident.

F1 tyre rule change being discussed

 

 

 

Triple Crown pursuit

Fernando famously complained over team radio his Honda engine felt like a GP2 unit, such was the lack of power. With few rays of hope on the horizon of the McLaren-Honda partnership coming good, Alonso decided it was time to quit F1 and try his hadn’t elsewhere. 

He won Le Mans with Toyota and added the WEC championship to his trophy cabinet in 2018 claiming a second Le Mans title the following season, Alonso now was one race away from the Grand Slam of motor racing, a feat only ever completed once by Graham Hill. The trio includes winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans and the Indy500 race held each year in the month of May.

Whilst competitive, Fernando failed to follow in Hill’s footsteps and then the Indycar design of the cars changed significantly and Alonso decided it was time to try his hand once again in Formula One.

Two years, often with pain, at the Renault/Alpine team saw Alonso clash repeatedly with team mate Esteban Ocon who he came to amusingly call “our friend” over team radio. Fernando did secure a race win for the French outfit when he famously duelled for lap after lap keeping Lewis Hamilton behind, while Ocon was to scamper off ahead and win his maiden F1 Grand Prix.

Hamilton tells Mercedes not to recruit Alonso

 

 

 

Alonso takes over from Vettel

Yet Alpine were going nowhere quickly and Fernando jumped at the opportunity to join Aston Martin following the shock retirement announcement from Sebastian Vettel. The match up appeared to be made in heaven as the Spaniard claimed podium finishes in six of the first seven races in 2023.

However the promise of the AMR23 was never fulfilled because Alonso’s team mate Lance Stroll could only score around a third of the points of his team mate. Aston Martin have completed a massive £200m investment in new Silverstone facilities and a wind tunnel and expect the next evolution of their car to benefit from this world leading technology centre and be at the front of the grid with the F1 big boys but the news Lewis Hamilton is leaving for Ferrari has created an opportunity Fernando Alonso must consider.

Hamilton dropped strong hints in Japan that his team should not recruit Fernando to replace him so clearly the animosity from their year together at McLaren has not lessened at all.

Hamilton was asked who he would like to see replace him at Mercedes and he had this not so cryptic conundrum for his team boss. “The only thing I really care about is that the team takes on someone with integrity and values that are aligned with the team and where the team is going.

Hamilton says Mercedes strategy wrong

 

 

 

Hamilton tells Mercedes not to recruit Alonso

“Someone with compassion that’s able to work with all these great people and continue to lift them up.

“There’s so many great people in this team and as drivers there are some that are more selfish than others, there are some that are good drivers but perhaps not the best within team environments.”

“Not the best within the team environment,” was the killer phrase from the seven times world champion, a clear reference to Fernando’s reputation for not suffering fools gladly.

Fernando started the season with a cryptic statement about his future. Clearly impacted by the Hamilton shock news, the Spaniard claimed he was considering whether he was going to continue driving in F1 after this year. 

Marko issues another warning after mixed Japanese F1 results

 

 

 

Fernando suggests retirement

“First of all, I need to decide myself what I want to do for the future,” he said when asked about what he’d like to do next season.

“If I want to commit my life, again, for a few more years to this sport, which I love,” said Alonso.

The Fernando watchers over the years will know immediately this is code for, ‘Aston Martin probably want me to stay’ and ‘but there may be a better opportunity for me out there and I don’t want to burn my bridges with Aston just yet.’ So the suggestion of retirement now kicks the questions of switching teams into the the long grass for now.

Now the Formula One season is in full flow and the driver market is just one signing away from the entire stack of dominoes falling. However, a close examination of Fernando’s words over the weekend of the Japanese Grand Prix reveals he is not so keen on filling Lewis Hamilton’s vacant seat at Mercedes.

Newey fuels exit rumours after Aston Martin bombshell offer

 

 

 

“Best weekend”

“I think it was my best weekend [in recent times], inside the top five ever for me. P5 in qualifying, that lap and P6 today in the race is completely out of position. Very proud,” a buoyant Fernando told assembled media. He went on to assert they were clearly the fifth quickest team at present and so his qualifying performance and race result was ahead of expectations.

When asked about rumours of a possible move to Mercedes, Fernando was more than candid: “That’s a very good question,” he replied but his full response would suggest Alonso isn’t knocking down Toto Wolff’s door anytime soon.

“Mercedes is behind us [today], so it doesn’t feel that attractive [an option],“ stated Fernando.

Aston Martin team boss, Mike Krack, also appeared to imply Fernando was more likely to renew with Aston Martin than leave to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, something once which would have been a ‘no brainer’ decision.

Sainz predicts end of Verstappen dominance

 

 

 

AM boss wants Alonso to stay

“It’s very nice that you make that observation because we are always focussing on the negatives, aren’t we?” he observed. 

“Which is the nature of racing – but I agree with you, now when you see what happens over the last two or three years, the progress the teams have made, it’s nice to see, yeah, there’s a possibility there but ‘no, maybe I better stay here’.

Krack concluded with the quip, ”You can maybe talk to him in Spanish, try to convince him.”

“It shows we’ve come a long way in a short time, we are still far from where we want to be but Formula 1 is extremely competitive, to manage to get to this first block of five and there are two blocks at the moment, it’s a good thing. But we want to get further forward in that block.

“We managed to not be the last on the block in some races like today and maybe also two weeks ago. We need to try and consolidate that come further forward.”

Norris criticises McLaren race strategy

 

 

 

Switch from P5 to P4 not attractive

The big unknown is how Mercedes will fair when they deliver their all new 2026 powertrain. Clearly at the start of the V6 Turbo hybrid era in 2014, the German brand aced the new regulations which completed the ground work for their record breaking eight consecutive constructor’s championships.

Fernando is clearly not interested in switching from the fifth fastest car to the one currently in fourth place and there is no guarantee this time around Mercedes will emerge any better in 2026 than they are currently are.

When asked about the AMR24’s performance, “We need to add more,” said Krack. “We definitely need to add more,” which appears the key to retaining Fernando. 

“But if he [Alonso] can fight and not be in the middle of nowhere, it’s already a first step, then we will not stop. We will bring parts over the season, to keep him motivated and happy at Aston Martin.”

Huge Red bull signing

 

 

 

Perez grows stronger

Of course Fernando has not taken off the table the retirement option he mentioned in Bahrain, but as he is currently outperforming his car, the Spaniard is clearly relishing in the opportunity this presents each weekend. Yet if Red Bull Racing were to come calling, Aston Martin and Mike Krack would struggle to persuade Fernando to stay.

The lure of one final drive in a championship winning car would be too much for Fernando to resist, even if that challenged included trying to beat the most difficult team mate to beat, F1 has ever produced.

Yet the once weekly debate of ‘who will replace Sergio Perez’ has abated for now. The Mexican has delivered three 1-2’s for his team and collected solid points with a damaged car in Australia. With Sergio having expressed his total support for Red Bull team boss in his hour of need when the scandal was breaking in Bahrain, so long as he keeps on delivering as Max’s ‘wingman’ his place will be assured despite the calls from Dr. Helmut Marko that its time for a change next year.

The scenario which sees Alonso make it onto a Newey designed championship winning car for 2025 appears now less likely than a couple of weeks ago, but nevertheless is still on the cards. Max Verstappen’s threats to leave Red Bull may not be fully resolved and his determination to keep the ‘team’ around him of his father and Dr. Marko – could yet see him walk out on his Red Bull ‘family’.

Wolff claims Mercedes spotted BIG issue with the car

 

 

 

Red Bull infighting may decide the matter

Jos Verstappen who called for Christian Horner to leave the team has not been present trackside with Red Bull since his latest outburst at the second round in Jeddah – a month ago. Of course this may merely be a scheduling issue but until he returns the Red Bull infighting cannot be definitively called over.

Yet even the line up of Alonso/Perez or Alonso/Sainz at Red Bull would create excitement for F1 fans alike around the world. His current impotent team mate and son of billionaire Lawrence Stroll provides no measure for how well the 42 year old Spaniard is driving at present.

As F1 champions age, the rose tinted spectacles get handed around and there’s always hope for a feel good return to the olden days. Sebastian Vettel during his days at Ferrari and Aston appeared to just fade away, but Fernando stepped into his car and was on the podium six times in his first seven races – something Vettel never dreamed possible.

With Ferrari seats decided for next season, the decision for Fernando is simple. Stay with Aston and hope their new investment pays off, or if offered the chance, join Red Bull Racing at any cost – even if for just one season.

The thought of the double world champion driving for Mercedes now appears very remote. Fernando is not keen and Toto Wolff is looking to favour their junior driver and future F1 star, Kimi Antonelli.

F1 ‘insider’ reveals internal chaos at Red Bull

 

 

 

Premier League boss joins F1

Premier League executive joins Williams F1. In an intriguing move that has captured the attention of both football and Formula One enthusiasts, Peter Kenyon, known for his executive roles at Premier League powerhouses Manchester United and Chelsea, has moved into the fast-paced world of Formula One, taking up a key role at Williams as Commercial Advisor.

The appointment marks a significant career change for Kenyon, who brings decades of experience in sports management and commercial strategy to one of F1’s most storied teams… READ MORE