Fernando Alonso has been asked about retirement at every race for roughly a decade, and his answers have become a genre of their own. This year’s version is precise. The decision, he says, is “more about the regulations” than about his age, and he has an alternative racing programme ready if he stops. He is 45. He started 24 seasons ago. He described some of his rivals last month as “semi-dead” by comparison, and nobody at Aston Martin has told him to stop saying that sort of thing, because it is broadly accurate.

The two titles

Alonso was born in Oviedo on 29 July 1981, won a karting world championship at 15, and made his Formula 1 debut with Minardi in 2001 in a car that was slower than some of the Formula 3000 machinery. Renault noticed. He became the youngest pole-sitter in history in 2003, then the youngest race winner, and in 2005 the youngest world champion, ending Michael Schumacher’s run of five titles. He beat Schumacher again in 2006, in a straight fight, and at 25 was the best driver in the world with a career of championships in front of him. He has not won one since.

The wrong cars

The next 15 years are the sport’s most persistent counterfactual. A single acrimonious season at McLaren in 2007 alongside rookie Lewis Hamilton ended in a points tie and a departure. Two years back at Renault produced the Singapore scandal that Alonso was cleared of any involvement in. Five seasons at Ferrari produced three runner-up finishes and two title fights lost at the final race, in 2010 and 2012, driving cars that most observers rated as the third or fourth fastest. Then a return to McLaren coincided exactly with the worst Honda engine of the hybrid era. He left the sport at the end of 2018, won Le Mans twice and the Daytona 24 Hours, tried the Indianapolis 500 and the Dakar, and came back with Alpine in 2021 because, in his words, he missed it.

Aston Martin

Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin signed him for 2023 and the first half of that season was a reminder of everything: eight podiums in ten races in a car nobody expected to be that quick. The project has plateaued since, and 2026 has been thin. He has three points after 13 rounds, 19th in the standings, and a double retirement at Monza after a parc fermé issue forced a pit-lane start. Aston Martin’s leadership has spoken of avoiding “arrogant” expectations at new circuits. The team is building for the next regulation cycle, and Alonso’s decision is really a decision about whether he believes that car will be worth waiting for.

What he still does better than anyone

Ask engineers and the answer is feedback. Alonso reads a car’s behaviour with a precision that has made him the calibration instrument for every team he has driven for, and it is the reason Aston Martin wants him to stay regardless of the points. Ask drivers and the answer is racecraft. His first laps, his defending, his ability to find a tenth in a car that has none, remain intact at 45 in a way that has no precedent in the sport’s history. Jenson Button, who partnered him at McLaren, has said he hopes Alonso keeps going. The driver market is waiting for him to decide either way, because the seat he vacates, if he vacates it, unblocks half the grid.

Fact file

  • Born: 29 July 1981, Oviedo, Spain
  • F1 debut: 2001 Australian Grand Prix, Minardi
  • World championships: 2 (2005, 2006, Renault)
  • Other wins: Le Mans 24 Hours (2018, 2019), Daytona 24 Hours (2019)
  • 2026 team: Aston Martin, number 14
  • 2026 standings after round 13: 19th, 3 points

Frequently asked questions

How old is Alonso?

He turned 45 in July 2026 and is the oldest driver on the grid.

How many titles has he won?

Two, in 2005 and 2006 with Renault.

Is he retiring?

Undecided. He says it depends on the 2027 regulations and has an alternative programme ready if he stops.

How long has he raced in F1?

Since 2001, with two years out in 2019 and 2020. 2026 is his 23rd season.