Fernando Alonso has opened up about his future in Formula 1, saying that Aston Martin will still be the first option.
After the announcement of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari in 2025, many linked Alonso to Mercedes. The Spaniard said that he would evaluate all the options available in case he decides to keep racing.
“If I want to keep racing, let’s see what the options are,” he said. “My first priority will be always to sit down and discuss with Aston.
“They gave me the opportunity last year to join this organization, which I’m very proud to be part of, with the new factory, with everything that is going on, there is a great future in this team. I want to explore every possibility to race for many years here.”
Alonso also said that even though he still loves racing, it will be an important decision to make as it would mean committing 100% of his life to a team.
“But I love driving, I’ve been driving all over winter, different cars; a DTM car, car cross, rally car, go-karts. I love F1, but generally, I love driving. So if it’s not F1, I will find myself happy in any other form of motorsport, and maybe have more time for my private life, which is also very important, at this age.
“But this is a decision that I need to make with myself, I need to think, and I need to commit to a team eventually, and make sure that I understand that the next few years of my life, it will be that team and 100% of my time.
“Once I make that decision I want to sit with Aston Martin and say, okay, I made this decision, and I would love to continue with this project. Because I think we did a good step forward in the last year. We built a lot of things together, we have this new facility here, and we have everything to succeed in the future. I trust this project.”
Ultimately, Alonso added that he knows he has “a privileged position” should he not continue with Aston Martin, as he is a very attractive profile to other outfits.
“If we cannot reach an agreement, and I want to commit to race in F1, I know that I have a privileged position,” he said. “I’m probably attractive to other teams, the performance that they saw last year, the commitment. There are only three world champions on the grid. And there is only one available.”