Mar.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has hinted he could extend his Formula 1 career beyond 2026, insisting he does not want to leave the sport on a low note.
The 44-year-old, who has just become a father for the first time, told L’Equipe he still feels as competitive as ever.
“I still feel competitive, I still feel fast, and I love what I do,” he said.
“When I’m in Spain, I go karting and I race with kids who are 9, 12, or 15 years old. And I still battle with them with the same mental age.”
Amid uncertainty about his future beyond his expiring contract, Alonso made clear performance will be key to any decision.
“I wouldn’t want to leave F1 on a bad note. So if the car doesn’t perform, I’ll drive for another year,” said the Spaniard.
However, the immediate outlook at Aston Martin remains bleak, with the team continuing to struggle alongside Honda.
“The first two races have been difficult, this one was difficult, and the next 10 will be difficult. I’m telling you now,” Alonso said at Suzuka.
“We’re not going to see any changes. The first part of the year is going to be very tough, and hopefully the second part will be better.”
He stressed that improvements will take time.
“In F1 things don’t happen overnight,” said Alonso. “This will take months, I think until summer or after summer we’ll see a similar situation every weekend.”
Despite the difficult start, Alonso insists patience remains one of his strengths.
“I think I’m number one in the art of patience,” he smiled.
“There are drivers who, when given a car that’s not even in th top five, explode. I’ve been fighting for victories for 23 years with cars that aren’t even in the top four.”
At Honda’s home race, the situation was laid bare after both cars qualified at the back of the grid.
Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s chief engineer, did not hide his disappointment.
“This isn’t what we wanted to show our fans. This isn’t what we wanted, but it’s our performance. We know we have a lot of work to do,” he said.
He also addressed recent suggestions from Adrian Newey that many Honda F1 staff had been diverted to make “solar panels”.
“It’s our philosophy,” said Orihara. “We divide our time between motorsport and other projects. Now we’re confident we have the right engineers for our project,” he stated.
However, he admitted a proper fix for the current crisis will not be quick or simple.
“It’s difficult to give a date because these regulations are very complicated. Every time we go into the garage we think about it, but we were also working at Sakura to improve performance.
“Talking about times is complicated, but at some point we will debut the new engine,” Orihara revealed.
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