Fernando Alonso, who will celebrate his 43rd birthday next month, is the most seasoned driver on the Formula 1 grid for the 2024 season, having started his career with Minardi at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. Alonso, a two-time World Champion, initially retired from F1 at the end of 2018 following a challenging period with McLaren. However, he returned to the sport in 2021 with Alpine before moving to Aston Martin at the start of last season.
In the 2023 F1 season, Alonso secured eight podium finishes, prompting Aston Martin to announce in April that he will stay with the team until at least the end of the 2026 season, at which point he will be 45. This new contract will reunite Alonso with Honda, the engine supplier he had a difficult partnership with during his time at McLaren from 2015 to 2017. Honda will become Aston Martin’s technical partner in time for the new F1 regulations in 2026.
Despite officially exiting F1 at the end of 2021, Honda has continued to support Red Bull, with Max Verstappen achieving significant success, including his 50th victory in 75 races at the recent Canadian Grand Prix. In an interview with the Times, Alonso, who also won the Le Mans 24 Hours twice and competed in the Indianapolis 500 and Dakar Rally during his two-year break from F1, acknowledged that his F1 career is nearing its end. He discussed his intention to adjust his approach to racing to maintain happiness, noting the personal sacrifices involved in being an F1 driver.
Alonso expressed that while driving in Formula 1 is a privilege enjoyed by only 20 people worldwide, it also demands significant personal sacrifices. To mitigate these downsides, he plans to make adjustments, such as having his family attend more races. Alonso also reflected on his younger years, noting that at Verstappen’s age of 26, he too thought his time in F1 was limited. He recalled believing that his 2007 contract with McLaren, after winning the World Championship with Renault, would be his last. Even in 2018, when he initially retired, Alonso thought he had concluded his F1 career, only to find himself drawn back to the sport.
