Fernando Alonso has said that the moment he realises there's no way he could be a champion, he will leave the sport. The Spaniard is in his 40s but has a multi-year contract with Aston Martin. The driver lost interest in the sport in 2018, leading to his sabbatical from F1.
Since his return to the sport in 2021, the 41-year-old has been stunning and very impressive. In 2023, he will be a part of Aston Martin, a team that wanted to take a punt on him as their lead driver.
Alonso has shown no signs of slowing down, as he's still very fit and does amazing stuff on a race track. When asked by motorsport.com why he hasn't retired already, the Spaniard said:
"I wouldn't have continued to compete if I didn't believe we had a chance. Whether it's 1% or 10%, I will continue as long as I believe we have a chance."
F1 supremo Stefano Domenicali recently said that Alonso has F1 in his blood:
“You can talk about everything. I think the important thing for me is that Fernando stays in F1. He is super motivated. Also, this year he has shown that age is not a problem. He is a very competitive driver, very strong in the head, very professional."
Domenicali continued:
"It is also a pleasure for me to see that in Spain, F1 has become important again with Carlos, with Fernando. Fernando doesn’t surprise me at all, because Fernando has the sport of Formula 1 in his blood. He manages to have a continuous motivation.”
Aston Martin boss praises Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso recently received praise from Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack who said that the Spaniard would be on the front row if every driver on the grid drove the same car. Krack said:
"If everyone drove an identical car, then he would be in the front row. The main task now is to provide Fernando with a car that is capable of doing this. If we produce it, he will put it where it belongs."
The 2023 F1 season is going to be interesting for Fernando Alonso as he replaces Sebastian Vettel and teams up with Lance Stroll.