“This is only the beginning”: Fernando Alonso poised to make Aston Martin F1 champions after signing contract extension

After much speculation surrounding his future Formula 1 team, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has put a full stop to the varying notions with his re-signing of contract.

Shortly before the season-opening Bahrain GP, Lewis Hamilton announced his switch to Scuderia Ferrari from 2025 onwards. With the Brit's shocking announcement, many were left speculating about the future partner of George Russell. Names like Max Verstappen, F2 driver Kimi Antonelli, Fernando Alonso, and Carlos Sainz surfaced, but the two-time world champion's bid gained a lot of traction.

Regardless, before his contract renewal was announced, Alonso downplayed his potential Mercedes candidacy by apparently taunting the subpar W15 with his "Mercedes are behind us" remark as he brimmed with confidence after his Suzuka run. The Spaniard finished in P6, ahead of Russell (P7) and Hamilton (P9).

After a two-year break from the pinnacle of motorsport, the 42-year-old returned with the Alpine F1 team in 2021. However, as the 2022 season concluded, the Spaniard marked his shift to the Silverstone outfit for two years, clinching eight podiums to date. Yesterday (April 11) the official announcement surfaced that Alonso has inked a multi-year deal at least until the end of 2026 with Aston Martin.

Speaking on his multi-year partnership, he expressed his hunger to achieve more as he vowed to give his all for another championship, saying (via Aston Martin's official release):

"This is only the beginning for this project and I am proud to be part of it. I am at my physical best and still hungry. I will give my all as we continue our journey to becoming a world championship winning team."

Fernando Alonso opens up on his reunion with Honda after a tense past with the Japanese manufacturer

The AMR24 driver parted ways with McLaren at the end of the 2007 season, marking his shift to Renault. However, a few years later in 2015, the Spaniard returned to the Papaya Orange team. During his three-year run with them, with Honda powering his car, Fernando Alonso failed to replicate the success he once had with the team during his first stint.

Moreover, he used to mock the engine as a "GP2 engine" whenever it failed to deliver on the promise. The McLaren driver was all critical of the engine, exclaiming, "GP2 engine, aaaarrgggh" during one of his runs at the Suzuka International Racing Course.

Nevertheless, as Honda will replace Mercedes for Aston Martin's power unit from 2026 onwards, Fernando Alonso showcased an accepting demeanor for his second stint with the Japanese manufacturer, saying (via crash.net):

"Part of the decision to stay at Aston is because they are with Honda for 2026. It was very, very important to me. Honda is definitely a manufacturer that has so much success in Formula 1."

He added:

"It didn't work for us at McLaren, in the years that they came to the sport, but right after that they fixed all the problems and they are currently dominating the sport."