Fernando Alonso reiterates his will of continuing in F1 despite turning 40, says negotiations for a contract extension with Alpine will begin after the summer break

Fernando Alonso's current contract with Alpine runs out at the end of the 2022 F1 season, but it does appear that an extension is only a matter of time. The Spaniard was questioned about the status of his contract with Alpine, to which he replied that he hadn't started any negotiations just yet. Fernando Alonso reiterated his objective to continue with the team and stick around in the sport for the next few years.

Why no negotiations then? Alonso revealed that this was primarily because he was focused on the next three races before the summer break and wanted to make the most of them first. Talking to RacingNews365.com, he said:

"So far, we didn't really start any negotiations. My aim, as I've said, is to continue. But until the summer break, I want to concentrate this July. We have [three] races [until then] and I need to score points because the first nine races have been a little bit unlucky for me."

Fernando Alonso's boss, Otmar Szafneur, mirrored what his driver said to the media as he revealed:

"We haven't really started talking in detail with Fernando yet, but you know now that I'm sure we'll do that just after the break."

Fernando Alonso's position at Alpine was under question after an off-color start to the season, but his spectacular form behind the wheel has made the extension a no-brainer.

Fernando Alonso hopes Alpine can build on the momentum from Silverstone

Fernando Alonso secured a strong P5 finish at the F1 British GP. On the eve of the Austrian GP, the Spaniard hopes Alpine can pick up where they left off at Silverstone.

"I hope we can pick-up where we left off at Silverstone. It's a back-to-back so we have to keep up the energy levels. Luckily the races aren't too far apart so the travel isn't a huge factor on this double header."

He continued:

"As the lap is short at the Red Bull Ring, it's always very close and Qualifying is usually tight between a number of cars. One small error or loss of time can be the difference between Q2 and Q3. It's also a Sprint Qualifying weekend and I think the track will be quite good for this format because overtaking is possible there."

The long straights at the Red Bull ring should suit the Alpine as the team tries to close down the gap to McLaren for P4 in the championship.