Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin are continuing with each other, at least until 2026. The signatures have been made and the British formation is hugely happy that it managed to convince the 42-year-old driver to extend his stay. Mike Krack reveals in China that at one point he was not sure Alonso wanted to continue in Formula 1.

Especially the extensive Formula 1 calendar - which already includes 24 Grands Prix by now - and the extensive travelling involved, eats up energy. " No, I was not convinced," Krack told Motorsport.com on the issue of whether Alonso would remain active in the king class of motorsport after 2024. "There is no 99 per cent. And therefore, with the calendar the way it is, it takes a huge amount out of you. And I think he said it many times: that there is no life. Either you are 100 per cent there or not."

Alonso does everything with 100 per cent and that takes a lot of energy but also time. "You also understand that when he says there is no life around it, it is true. So given that I was worried that he would say, 'no, I want to do something else in life', I was very happy to see that he loves F1 more than his private life."

Aston Martin it is

Alonso also spoke to other teams and weighed up his options. It will be Aston Martin. "Fernando is a man of his word. He told us that what he communicated to the outside was the same as what he communicated to the inside. He said: 'I have to consult with myself first and decide if I want to continue. After that, if I want to go ahead, I want to discuss it with Aston Martin first'. This is what happened. And we are very happy that it ended this way."

The contract negotiations between the two parties did not take long either, Alonso himself confirmed in China. Only one or two days were needed to reach an agreement.