Alonso impresses fellow competitors: 'Huge dedication, great respect'

Fernando Alonso will continue to drive Formula 1 for at least the next two seasons. The now 42-year-old driver will be 45 years old at the end of 2026. This does not but him in the top-ten list of oldest drivers, but in modern F1, it really is an achievement. This is endorsed by his fellow competitors ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Norris

Lando Norris argues that it will take a huge amount of dedication to stick at least two more seasons. "I don't think anyone thinks Fernando lacks that in any way. I think he shows up with everything that he does in life, whether it's at the track or away from the track, in different sports or whatever it is. So it depends what you want to do. Everyone's different. It's rare that you see someone commit for so long in any sport."

The McLaren driver admires the Spaniard. "He's probably one of the oldest guys competing at the top of any sport in the world. And I think to be able to do that at the level that he has done and continues to do, you're probably never going to I think potentially you can never see it again within Formula One. And if you do, it's going to be extremely rare. So, yes, I think a lot of respect for that kind of thing. I have no idea if I wanted to it in 20 years time, if I'm still going strong, but I love where I am now and I continue to do such a thing," he said.

Leclerc

Charles Leclerc also doubts he will still be racing in the top class of motorsport at Alonso's age. "It's difficult to imagine myself in 15 or 18 years time still in Formula One. However, we can definitely see how motivated Fernando still is and how high of a level he's still performing at the moment. And this is what matters. At the end, it's not really ‘age is a number’, but what he's showing on track is still at a very, very high level," Leclerc said.

Leclerc himself plans to race for years to come, but as far as he is concerned, it does not have to be just in Formula 1. "On my side. I would love to be racing still for many, many years. However, I'm not so sure whether that's in Formula One. I would like to experience all the things like Le Mans. That is definitely a place where I will see myself racing one day. But, yes, while I'm fully motivated, then I will race and I love what I do. So for now, that's what I want to do for the longest time possible," the Monegasque said.

Ocon

"Huge respect for Fernando since I've been very little, I've been watching him competing against Michael, and these two guys are the guys that gave me the love for the sport to still be racing with Fernando now," said the Alpine driver.

"He's won in everything, basically. He's won in karting, he's won in Le Mans, he's won in the States, in sports cars. Everything that almost he has competed has almost won. And that's more than remarkable. And it's a dream career for any athletes or racing driver. So, yes, I don't know if I would still be racing at his age, but, yes, truly, his dedication is something that is an example for all of us."

Zhou

Guanyu Zhou is racing in front of his own crowd this weekend. Therefore, he joined the press conference also spoke about Alonso. "It's an incredible journey that Fernando has done. And of course, it's a lot easier to say than to do. I would love to be racing Formula One for many more years, that's for sure. That's why I have the most passionate about and driving these cars as well, and from my side, of course, back in the days, he was kind of the racing role model I was looking for. And it's great to be seen, seeing him still performing at very high level and, yes, just really enjoy. Hopefully, we can sooner battle some positions on track and having some fun."