- Published
Fernando Alonso has committed to staying in Formula 1 with Aston Martin for at least one more year - and says the biggest single reason for his decision is because he "still feels fast".
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he → publish → decision
The 45-year-old Spaniard has been weighing up his future all year.
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Spaniard → weigh → future
And while, like Max Verstappen, he has been outspoken in his criticism of the new hybrid engines introduced in 2026, his love for the sport has won out.
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love → introduce → sport
"First, this is my life," Alonso told BBC Sport in his only English language interview about his decision, which was announced on Tuesday.,
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which → tell → Tuesday
external
"I have this in my blood and I keep racing and I keep enjoying and this is a way of life, in a way.
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this → have → way
"Probably for me the biggest, or the clearest thing to keep racing is I still feel self-confidence that I have something extra.
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I → keep → something
"And when I think about stepping down or taking a different role in the team or not driving the car or whatever, in a way I feel it should not be like that because I still feel as fast as anybody.
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I → think → anybody
So let's have another go."
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's → let → go
His own personal performance was only one factor at play in Alonso's decision, he explained in an extensive and open conversation.
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he → explain → conversation
Alonso also considered the new rules, and the competitiveness of his team, which has been close to rock bottom for most of this season.
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which → consider → season
Alonso is regarded as one of the all-time F1 greats, and has created an iconic status over a career that dates back to 2001.
And he continues to reject any suggestion that he has lost any of his ability.
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he → regard → ability
"When I jump in the car, in free practice, I will see some people braking late in a corner, locking up the front tyres here or there, making mistakes there," Alonso says.
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Alonso → jump → mistakes
"I feel that I'm OK.
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I → feel → ?
"So when I get changed and I go back home, even if I'm P18, in a way I feel some satisfaction and pride inside, even if it should not be the case because we are not competitive.
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we → change → satisfaction
"How will I be in the living room, watching TV, thinking that I can do better?
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I → watch → TV
When that changes, if I see that I lost abilities, I lost speed, I lost reflexes, I lost something, then I will be happy to watch from my living room the race.
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I → change → race
"At the moment, I feel it was not the time because I'm better than that guy.
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I → feel → guy
I will think like that.
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I → think → that
And I cannot stop racing if I still think like that."
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I → stop → that
Alonso has only had a couple of chances this year to prove his point that he's still as good as he ever was.
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he → have → point
One was at the Dutch Grand Prix, when he finished ninth, holding at bay the faster cars of Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda in the final stint.
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he → finish → stint
I suggest to him that it was a typical Alonso drive, proof to those who doubted that he still has it.
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he → suggest → it
But he says it will have had no impact on the audience.
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it → say → audience
"You only prove to people when you are in the podium or you are on TV," he says.
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he → prove → TV
"That's where eyes are open, and people remember suddenly that you're still on the grid.
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you → remember → grid
"So now I'm at peace with this period of time that I'm anonymous, and no one knows that we're still there and we're still fast.
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we → know → time
"We are preparing ourselves for the moment of truth and that will be a surprise for everybody again."
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that → prepare → everybody
Carrying on despite his dislike of modern F1 cars
Along with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, Alonso has been one of the drivers most critical of the 2026 rules.
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Alonso → carry → rules
Drivers feel the new hybrid engines, which have a near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, have diminished F1's challenge.
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which → feel → challenge
The key problems are the fact the cars run out of half their energy long before some corners, a process known as "derating", and that some of the sport's most demanding corners have been neutered because they are used to charge the batteries.
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they → run → batteries
Alonso, as is his way, has produced some particularly pithy turns of phrase this season to express his unhappiness.
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Alonso → produce → unhappiness
He has called F1 the "battery world championship".
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He → call → F1
He has described fast corners as "the charging station for the car" and said that "the chef could drive the car" in a particular corner in Bahrain that used to be a major challenge.
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that → describe → Bahrain
And he's been dismissive of the increased number of overtaking moves created by offsets in energy levels between cars, calling them "avoidance actions".
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he → increase → them
How did he square all that with deciding to keep racing these cars he dislikes so much?
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he → square → cars
"That's a good question," he says, "because that was the hardest thing for me."
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that → say → me
He says he hopes the changes being made to change the power ratio to 60-40 in two steps by 2028 "will make things a little bit easier".
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things → say → 2028
"This year, there have been some good races and some bad races," Alonso says.
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Alonso → say → ?
"Maybe some of the shorter circuits that you had the battery until the braking point are changing the way you perceive the driving.
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you → have → driving
"And some of the circuits like Silverstone, Spa, Suzuka, they were very bad, you know, because they derate and things like that.
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they → know → that
…and 34 more, not listed.
The Aporia
