Alonso to join Aston Martin-Honda in '26? 'I really don't know'

Fernando Alonso will be 44 when Aston Martin have a Honda engine in the back of the car in 2026. Currently, the Spaniard is arguably driving as well as he ever has, but it is unclear whether he will still be in Formula 1 in three years' time.

Alonso was asked during the press conference if he will continue until the Honda era. "I will be 44! No, I mean, I don't know what I will do in 2026," he said. "I will lie if I tell you that I know right now. For sure, I feel fresh, I feel motivated now. I feel sharp, still fast. And if I keep enjoying, I will love to keep racing, but it's going to be one time. I know that one day I will wake up and I will not feel maybe motivated or happy to keep traveling and all these kinds of things. Or maybe I don't feel fast and I will be the first one to raise my hand and say, maybe it's time."

'A long way to go'

The routine player simply does not want to look ahead too long. "I think it's a long way until 2026. I will focus first of all in Monaco now, because I think it's an important weekend. And then this season, next one, hopefully we can make another step and fight for bigger things. And then racing again with Honda, it's gonna be no problem at all from my side. I know that it didn't work out last time, 2015, 2016, 2017. It was even worse maybe for some of my teammates, like Vandoorne or whatever, coming from dominating F3, F2, and then joining the project that maybe was not fully ready back then."

"But I think they prove that they have now a competitive package. They won the championship in 21. They won the championship in 22. Most likely will win the championship in 23. So I think they have now a very strong package, and it's a new set of regulations, but I think it will be a very exciting project for sure," Alonso concluded.