Fernando Alonso will race in F1 in 2027: “One more year... and I don’t think it will be the last”

Fernando Alonso will be on the Formula 1 grid in 2027.

Aston Martin officially confirmed its driver lineup for next season on Tuesday, with Alonso returning alongside Lance Stroll. Before the announcement, the Spanish veteran spoke with AS about the thinking behind his decision to continue racing.

The turning point was the idea of “one more year” in Barcelona—but Alonso isn’t necessarily viewing 2027 as just another final lap around the block.

He still enjoys racing. He still feels he has the edge. And as long as both of those things remain true, Alonso has no intention of walking away.

What have you decided?

I’m going to stay in Formula 1 next year. After thinking about it for several months, I believe it’s the right decision. The one my body asked for, the one I thought I had to make. I haven’t enjoyed this year nor do I enjoy these cars, that’s true and I’ve said it many times. At the same time, I think I have to finish a job we started at Aston Martin: we have all the ingredients to succeed with the factory, the wind tunnel, Adrian Newey and all our partners. We need to put things in place, little by little. This year we started on the wrong foot, but that doesn’t mean it won’t change quickly, and I want to be part of that project.

Only one season?

Yes, because with this team I have the advantage that they’re family to me. I’ve known Lawrence (Stroll, owner) for 15 years, and Lance (Stroll, his teammate) since he was 12 and in Ferrari’s academy. We have a photo from when Lance reached my waist. We talk every week about a thousand things, not just F1. We talk about road cars, we did the Valliant a year ago, we have many projects and it’s not about one more year or ten more years. I’m going to be with Aston Martin for a long time; we’ll see in what role. Behind the wheel or off it, we’ll decide that later.

Do you see this as a final contract as an F1 driver?

No, I don’t think this will be my last year in Formula 1. That’s how I see it. I enjoy it now, I have efficient travel and marketing commitments… I have more experience now and organize myself better. I think I can keep going for several years.

“Barcelona’s ‘one more year’ influenced me a lot; they were as excited as at the start of my career”

Fernando Alonso

How much did Barcelona’s “one more year,” or the farewell lap in Madrid, influence you?

A lot, a lot. Especially Barcelona. I have to say it was a turning point. I hadn’t made the decision or really thought about it, but when I was at the fan forum—which was the most special moment of the weekend—it touched me to see all the fans. They believe in me; they have an intact excitement for Formula 1 and for my results. The impression I had in Barcelona was that people weren’t enjoying the Grand Prix because it might be the last one; they were excited as if it were the beginning of my career. The flame of Alonsomanía and F1 in Spain is very much alive. I certainly didn’t see decline or any sense of nostalgia from anyone. Everyone was fully charged, as if we were level at zero and the match was at halftime. I didn’t think we were in extra time.

It’s been a very tough season; what makes you think a turnaround is coming?

It already has started. After Budapest, the chassis corrected some of the deficiencies we had and we’re heading in the right direction. The change is underway; judging by what’s happening behind the scenes, if we started at 10 with some doubts, since Hungary the team is at 100. With a clear and concrete direction and good results in everything we do. I feel that energy at the factory; now everyone really thinks with a different optimism toward 2027. In 2026 everyone was cautious—new rules and nobody knew what to expect. Now I see the opposite: optimism. But you shouldn’t talk it up or sell it, because all winters are the same. Every team has optimism, and in Spain we’re quick to get excited because we need good news. We’re short on good news and results, but we’re not going to promise anything. I’m calm and I trust the team.

The Aston side is on track. On the Honda side, can they find an engine capable of competing in this extra year?

I think so; I hope so. The new 60-40 rules regarding combustion and electricity will improve things that drivers now miss in terms of driving enjoyment—top speeds before braking, things a driver learns from karting that we’ve lost with this F1—and I hope we’ll improve from next year. Also, we hope Honda resolves some power and drivability deficits we have this year. Honda deserves a second chance; that’s how I see it. They didn’t get it right in this first step, but they’re a big company that has always built good engines given the time needed, and they should be given that time.

You’re asked every Thursday how you stay motivated. Why do you think it’s so hard to understand from the outside that you remain at the highest individual level, that age is just a number?

I also like winning; I had to leave Formula 1 to drive other cars and really see whether I still had that competitive spirit and the talent to drive fast cars. Even you can think that maybe things don’t come as easily as before. When I left F1, it helped me realize I enjoy racing and I’m good at it. I returned to F1 and perhaps from the outside it always looks repetitive because you get the same results, or I can also lose motivation. There are weekends with more or less motivation; it depends on many things. Drivers have good days and better days. What is true is that every time I get into the car I see and feel things that make me think I have an extra compared to others on track. So when it comes time to decide whether I want to keep racing, it’s very hard for me to stop now because I don’t see any reason to. I don’t see anyone superior to me in all technical aspects of the track and driving. In the onboard footage I watch, the overtakes done on me or by me, the starts… I don’t see that I’ve lost that extra. The day I do, I’ll be the first to notice.

“Every time I get in the car I feel an extra over the others”

Fernando Alonso

If you had won the third World Championship in any of the three opportunities you had, would you be here now?

Yes. I wouldn’t change anything. My sporting career or legacy isn’t defined by results or titles but by the adaptability I’ve shown to different cars and different eras of Formula 1. And because in equal cars it will be very hard to beat me.

How important is it for you to fight for wins or a third title in this extension of your career?

It’s important; that’s the dream and the work you do every day. You sacrifice a life, your family, your friendships to achieve good results. But if in the coming years I win a race, it won’t change me much. Neither would getting three podiums. But it would change the entire fanbase. If we return to podiums, if we can fight for points every weekend, that would change a whole country, as happened in 2023. It changes the concerns of ordinary people, the children who want to be tennis players, basketball players, or drivers. It’s the biggest change we can achieve if we become competitive. It would give me personal satisfaction, but I’d be happier for the fans than for myself.

At this stage of your life, how important is F1?

It’s less important than it used to be. With my family and my son, priorities change. The important things happen at home: good health, happiness, family balance. That matters much more than a seventh place. I was already aware of that before, and I still am. I hope next year I can enjoy more time with my family, that my son can come to more races. With only a few months old it’s hard to organize travel with him, but hopefully next year I can balance the two better and enjoy fuller weekends.

“I live at peace with my career; I’ll continue while I enjoy it”

Fernando Alonso

Does going to Le Mans or the Dakar one year later put pressure on you?

No. We’ll see.

You often say you’ll live the team’s victories even if you’re no longer behind the wheel. Are you motivated to stay involved in F1 without driving?

That also motivates me. When you’re in a project from the start, you want it to succeed. It’s hard to explain from the outside because the results don’t reflect it, but this project has all the ingredients. Perhaps PSG or Manchester City didn’t have results for many years and seemed unsuccessful, but everything takes time and pieces start to fit over the years. If there are resources, investment, leadership and the best people in each role… over time a powerful structure forms. I want to be part of that, driving or in another capacity.

After a couple of races in 2027, the questions about the future will return…

They know there’s nothing to scrape. There won’t be any decision until September or October. But I’m not worried; I live at peace with my career. Whether I continued or not, I live at peace and I’m more than grateful. What I want is to enjoy every weekend. If I feel fresh—as I do right now after thinking long about this decision—I don’t see it as just one more year. I’ll continue the years I enjoy and when I have the opportunity to be in the team.

What would a good 2027 look like, at what level must the team be for you to be satisfied?

It’s impossible to answer. That was part of the decision I thought about. What would make me happy and what would frustrate me in 2027 is impossible to predict. I enjoy the process of the work; I enjoy thinking about making next year’s cockpit, where they’ll modify some things at the front, where the pedals go, and we’ll test it in the simulator. I enjoy the journey more than the expectation, which you might meet or might not. Let it be what it will be, but we’re going to enjoy the work.

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