Fernando Alonso: No timeframe on confirming F1 future

Fernando Alonso has confirmed there is no timeline on the decision regarding his Formula 1 future as he is still awaiting talks with Lawrence Stroll and Adrian Newey.

The 45-year-old is the subject of various questions surrounding how the 2027 F1 grid could shape up, with talk of his possible retirement swirling as his Aston Martin contract expires at the end of the current 2026 campaign.

Alonso previously stated that he would decide “around summer time”, but this weekend F1 returns from its August shutdown with the Dutch Grand Prix and no announcement has been made. 

Qhen asked at Zandvoort for a new timeframe on his decision, the Spaniard replied: “I don’t have any. I just came from holiday, so I will see in the next days or weeks or months.

“I know Lawrence is coming this weekend, so I will have a nice lunch with him or coffee and maybe Monza [4-6 September] or I don’t know when he is coming next.

“I will have to go to the factory soon as well to do Madrid simulators, so maybe if Lawrence is around or Adrian, I will sit with them. So maybe in the next weeks.”

Adrian Newey, Aston Martin Racing, Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin

Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images

It could be believed that Aston Martin’s competitiveness may play a role in whether Alonso continues or not, as the squad has been poor so far in 2026 and has scored just one point.

But the tide may be turning as Budapest last time out saw an improved AMR26 thanks to vast chassis upgrades and Zandvoort marks the first updates to its uncompetitive Honda engine.

Alonso, however, confirmed the forthcoming upgrades are “not important” for when it comes to his future decision.

“I hope we see some benefit for sure in terms of power, drivability and the things that we were missing,” the two-time F1 champion added.

“But for me it’s more important, like in Budapest with the chassis side, to see that there is an understanding philosophy on what the needs are and a step forward.

“In Budapest, we knew that we would not compete for the top positions, but we wanted to check that the direction on the chassis side was the correct one and I think we did that.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

“So, that’s something that is encouraging for the future that the correlation is good and what we expected was delivered and now with the engine it’s the same thing.

“I think they made some changes to the engine so it would be nice to confirm that everything is working as expected and if it’s one tenth or one second it doesn’t matter really, the number.

“We are too far behind to really care about a number. We just want to see that what we expected is delivered.”

But if Alonso opts against renewing his contract, he would still remain with Aston Martin in some capacity while also competing in other motorsport championships.

The Spaniard has enjoyed success outside of F1 by winning the Le Mans 24 Hours and World Endurance Championship, while also contesting Dakar and the Indianapolis 500.

“I will be with this team in one role or another for the long term,” he said. “It’s not about myself or about who is driving next year, or if I am driving next year or three more years. I don’t know.

Alonso at Le Mans

Photo by: Paul Foster

“Sitting with Lawrence and Adrian and the needs for the team is for me to drive. I will consider. I will be happy if I can be more valuable in another position.

“But I need to drive something. That’s something for sure. I need to race. I need to feel the adrenaline. I am a competitor.

“I have all the challenges in my head, as I said many times to win one day Dakar or to try again Indy 500 or whatever is coming next.

“Also winning in Formula 1 a third world championship, that will be obviously the ultimate dream.

“Is that possible? I don’t know how long it will take to achieve that performance for this team. It’s going to be a very long time.”

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– The Motorsport.com Team