Our verdict on Alonso deciding to stay in F1

A largely fruitless season at Aston Martin-Honda hasn't deterred Fernando Alonso from signing up for another season in Formula 1.

But what can he realistically achieve in 2027 and beyond?

He couldn't leave like this

Glenn Freeman

He had to stay. You don't stick around in F1 until your mid-40s to then bow out with a season like this one.

So how much longer does he stay for? To expect Aston Martin to challenge for wins next season would be to expect a miracle. But if the trajectory is right, and the jump in performance is significant, I can see it giving Alonso enough faith to extend into 2028.

I can't imagine that deep down he truly believes another championship is in his future. Aston Martin and Honda getting the jump on everyone in the first year of the new rules was the only chance of that happening, and I always felt that chance was slim.

Now, I reckon the goal is to just do something noteworthy again. Had he won a race among all those podiums during that purple patch in 2023, I think he'd be gone by now. The decision to stick it out for so long would have been justified by just one more win.

I'd be surprised if Aston Martin can be 2023-good again as soon as 2027. But if it can somehow be the team knocking on the door of the big four teams, I can see that being enough to convince Alonso to stay beyond next year.

I hope this isn't a waste

Scott Mitchell-Malm

In principle it's obviously better for Alonso to be in F1 than out of it. But I don't see the point in him wasting his ability and his time when it's for this - so there's massive pressure for Aston Martin and Honda to justify his renewed commitment.

Alonso will be extremely well compensated for his time, of course. So there's a limit to the sympathy his situation is afforded! I'd just rather watch him race somewhere he can be at the front and dazzle us with his talent, because the bad days - like Baku - are just painful for everyone.

But he could well view this as worth one last roll of the dice, especially as he's in a great negotiating position.

You could argue Aston Martin doesn't need a driver of his calibre given the drivers are a long way from being a limiting factor right now. So it makes no meaningful difference to its competitive prospects who is behind the wheel.

But vanity alone is a reason why Aston Martin will want a top name attached to its project and Alonso's the only option in this regard. Nobody else will gamble just now, so Alonso knows there's no real pressure for someone to claim his seat.

That means he can name his price and be there waiting if - and it's a big if - it does actually come together before he finally decides enough's enough and walks away.

The value is in the record

Valentin Khorounzhiy

From a competitive standpoint, I see little satisfaction in this outcome - Alonso stays at a team (and engine manufacturer) whose timeline for frontrunning seems misaligned with his, whose season has been wholly uninteresting and whose driver pairing is a one-sided contest year after year. We are highly unlikely to learn anything new about Alonso or Stroll in 2027, and Alonso is astronomically unlikely to add to his two F1 titles or, likely, to his 32 F1 wins.

But, unless you're talking about predatory capital accumulation, there is certainly an understandable satisfaction to seeing just how high a number can go. 440 starts - well, why not 470? Racing at 46 - well, why not at 47?

It's quite cool, also because Alonso is sticking around on merit, not just in star power but in performance. He is still a very good F1 driver. He will never get a call to a top F1 team - too much baggage, not enough of a recent record of competition against a credible team-mate - but he is worth his value to Aston Martin.

I'd say it's a bit LeBron James-esque but LeBron makes the NBA playoffs every year, while this year's Aston Martin isn't even a 'play-in' team. So... it's a bit like James Milner, isn't it? 

It's in Honda's hands again

Josh Suttill

Alonso sticking around for another year makes total sense. He's done the hard yards in what Aston Martin-Honda hopes will be the nadir of the partnership.

As he's seen plenty of times in his career, leaving the team at the wrong time risks letting someone else swoop in and reap the benefits of his hard work.

He's waited this long for an Adrian-Newey-designed car. He'll want at least one more of them, especially when the first this year was so heavily compromised in the conception phase.

The huge improvement Newey's team was able to make with the chassis - just look at the relative difference between Monaco (A-spec) and Hungary (B-spec) - will give him hope of another step forward in 2027.

So don't think it's unrealistic to believe Aston Martin could have the best car outside of the top four next year.

But the question is, will it have a strong enough Honda power unit to do that car justice?

Alonso has played this well

Ben Anderson

I think this is probably the right outcome for both parties. Yes, Alonso hates the 2026 engines, but he'll know the worst of that is behind him with the rule tweaks coming for 2027 and '28 - and beyond if he gets that far.

Plus, Honda has so much potential to make giant strides forward next year with the extra development spend it's going to get under the FIA's ADUO catch-up mechanism, even if that system undergoes reform.

Alonso's still driving at a very high level and, although we don't know precisely how high that level still is given the questionable pedigree of his team-mate, it's certainly the case that Aston Martin and Honda have far bigger problems to solve right now than the driver line-up.

Alonso is the highest calibre of driver that team can realistically attract right now. I imagine he knew this very well and played it to his advantage during negotiations, repeatedly threatening to quit F1 entirely.

As he said in Aston Martin's press release, he was "very happy to sign a new contract", not simply extend the existing one, so I should imagine he's leveraged his well-documented disappointment with where the project has stood in 2026 to gain better remuneration for himself - while he contemplates having to waste yet more of his twilight F1 career at or near the back of the grid, at least for the time being.

Aston should be scouting engines over drivers

Gary Anderson

In reality, who else could they get?

Lance is a sure thing because daddy is paying. And Fernando loves the competition - and I think he now realises that if he wants to continue he has nowhere else to go. He can still do a decent job but I’m pretty sure that third world championship won’t come his way this side of 50.

For Aston Martin keeping them both, especially Fernando, at least gives it continuity.

The big question now is ‘will they jump ship from Honda?’, and if so to who. I think watch this space.

This adds to his incredible legacy

Edd Straw

Fernando Alonso's F1 longevity is astounding. He's a remarkable driver, one whose statistics don't do his ability justice, but to be willing to plug on at this level for so long with everything that entails is, regardless of whether or not it's the right decision, remarkable.

At the end of this season, his 'second' F1 career after returning with Alpine in 2021 will be as long as the span from 2001-2007 when he won two titles and 19 of his 32 grand prix wins. His determination is astonishing, as while doubtless the large paycheque he receives is part of the appeal, it takes enormous dedication to be able to carry on at the top level for so long.

There will be those who grumble about him taking up a seat that should go to a younger driver, or argue that it's delusional to keep battling on at Aston Martin given how far away it is from being in a position to win races. But that isn't the point. Whether or not you are a fan of Alonso, you must respect the boundless energy of one of the most vigorous competitive beasts who has ever driven a racing car.

After all, not knowing when to quit is a key component of the psychological make-up of any great champion.