Fernando Alonso extends contract at Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso will extend his record-breaking Formula 1 career by another season, committing to Aston Martin for the 2027 campaign.

Alonso, who debuted back in 2001, will thus embark upon his 24th full-time season in grand prix racing – and extend the record for most F1 grand prix starts, which he right now holds with 440.

“F1 has been great to me,” said Alonso in a 2027 deal announcement video styled as a fake-out retirement announcement.

“I had an incredible career. I have travelled around the world, I raced for 23 years, more than 400 grands prix. And I achieved more than what I ever dreamed of.

“It took me a little bit of time to make my decision. But now I have things very clear on my mind.

“I will retire from F1…but not yet. I still feel fast and motivated and a huge passion for F1 and for the sport. So, yeah. I’m so happy to keep racing in the highest category. It is my life.”

The decision comes despite the fact Alonso has spent much of the season disgruntled and disillusioned. While the Aston Martin AMR26 has been a total letdown, uncompetitive and a handful, improved by a recent upgrade but still hamstrung by the underperformance of the Honda power unit, Alonso has consistently insisted his discontent was more to do with a more general disapproval of the 2026 regulations and the shape of racing this year.

He has lobbied for more aggressive tweaks to the 2027 regulations than what already has been announced, while a behind-the-scenes effort to give Honda extra concessions to improve its power unit performance has also lingered in the background.

Alonso will turn 46 during next season. Though his career longevity is unprecedented in modern F1, he would have to race into the 2037 season to become the oldest driver to start an F1 race (a record currently held by Louis Chiron and his age-55 drive in Monaco).

Team-mate Lance Stroll has also been announced as continuing with Aston Martin into 2027, as part of what the team described as an “extension of their [Stroll and Alonso’s] long-term contracts”.

Unlike Alonso’s, Stroll’s continuation at the team was never in any real doubt.

Team chairman Lawrence Stroll said: “Lance and Fernando have been a crucial part of our journey and we are very pleased to confirm that they will continue with us into the next chapter for the team. Having two drivers with their level of experience, commitment and knowledge provides tremendous value to the whole organisation.

“We are here to win, and whilst our short-term focus remains on improving performance, I believe we have the world-class talent we need to achieve our long-term objectives.”