Alonso rejects Newey's Aston Martin upgrade claim over his F1 future

Alonso, who made his debut in 2001, is out of contract this season after what has been a miserable season for Aston Martin who are only ahead of Cadillac in the championship. That is somewhat fortunate as Alonso's only point came after the Cadillac of Perez was given a post-race time penalty in Monaco.

Newey has claimed that Alonso's decision on whether to remain with Aston Martin could be decided on how much progress is made to the AMR26. “It’s very important,” Newey told Aston Martin’s Undercut. “Fernando is really looking forward to the upgrade and, if it performs, we hope he’ll be in the cockpit for another season.”

Speaking to the media during the British Grand Prix weekend, Alonso said that the upcoming upgrades to the AMR26 are not "really connected" to whether he will stay in the team or within Formula One at all.

He said: "If the car is good or bad, there are other factors that I need to think about. Maybe the car is super good and still (I have) feelings that the sport is going in the wrong direction."

Alonso has been particularly scathing about the 2026 cars, claiming "no driver talent" is needed, adding: "You don't need to outbrake anyone, you don't need to overtake on the outside, you don't need to take any risk. You just press one button, and you overtake if you have a better power unit than the car in front.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Alonso's teammate during his championship winning years in 2005 and 2006, said that the Spaniard is in the "worst moment" of his career but has heard that the 45-year-old wants to continue racing in Formula One in 2027.