Alonso jokes about Hamilton's age: 'Am not the only one anymore'

Aston Martin announced on Thursday that Fernando Alonso has extended his commitment with the team. The Spaniard will continue to race with the introduction of the new regulations in 2026 for the Silverstone-based team. The new contract ensures that Alonso will remain a Formula 1 driver at least until he is 45 years old. He doesn't see this as a troubling factor.

"I'm feeling good. I'm feeling strong," said Alonso. "In Japan I drove maybe one of my best races ever, which happened just five days ago. I don't see any problems there. And Lewis [Hamilton] will turn 40 next year in January. At least I will not be the only one who is 40-plus that you will talk to. Maybe there are more drivers."

If age does become an issue for Alonso at some point, he says he will be the first to point it out. "I have a relationship with Aston which is very honest, and I will be the first one to raise my hand and say, you know, I have maybe lost it here or there and we will find solutions. But I don't see that coming for the next few years."

Alonso also spoke to other teams

The two-time world champion indicated that he also sat down with other teams to talk about his future, but Alonso refused to go into details. "I will not be specific on which teams I spoke to because I think this is not important now. It's the day for Aston Martin and the day for good news for Aston. I think it's a normal conversation that you have. The same is true for teams when they are searching for a driver."

In any case, the sacred fire seems far from extinguished with the purified driver. "I love the driving too much that I cannot stop at the moment. The sacrifices that you have to make are smaller than the joy of driving and the passion that I have for driving. So I breathe F1. I live Formula One. I train to be fit to drive Formula One cars. I eat to be fit to drive Formula One cars," Alonso concluded.