"I always said that to become champion with Michael Schumacher still on the track has more value": When Fernando Alonso paid tribute to the German

Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso previously claimed that becoming champion when Michael Schumacher was still on track had "more value" whilst paying tribute to the German driver after his initial retirement at the end of the 2006 season. The Spaniard had a very close title battle with the then-Ferrari driver that year and managed to win his second consecutive title with Renault on the final hurdle in Brazil.

The two champions had close battles in 2005 and 2006 and were fair and aggressive when racing against each other. Schumacher had announced his retirement from the sport after winning the Italian Grand Prix in 2006 as he made way for Kimi Raikkonen next year.

In the post-race press conference in Brazil in 2006, Alonso paid tribute to his Ferrari rival Schumacher and sang praises of his skills and caliber, saying:

"Yeah it has been very close and I think it was good to fight with him. I always said that to become Champion when Michael still on the track has maybe more value than when he retired.

"I was extremely lucky to win the last two championships he raced in. I think all the drivers wish him the best of for his new life with family and has been for us, a pleasure to race with him."

The two consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006 remain the last time Fernando Alonso won the driver's championships despite still racing in the sport two decades later.

Fernando Alonso previews his chances for the 2026 season

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso stated that he has high expectations from the 2026 season given the introduction of new engine regulations and driving the Adrian Newey-designed car for the first time.

While appearing on the Chequered Flag podcast, the 43-year-old spoke about his chances in 2026 and said:

“The expectations will be high [in 2026] because it’s a new change, a new car, change of regulations, a car made by Adrian. Probably – or at least to start with – it will be my last season in Formula 1 because my contract finishes at the end of 2026, so it’s the time of delivering and the time of truth.

"High expectations. I will start the season thinking like that, for sure, because I cannot think too much in the future. At the moment, my current contract is for two more years. With my age, my motivation, I don’t know how it’s going to be.”

Fernando Alonso signed a two-year contract extension with the British team in 2024 and will see him drive for them until the end of 2026. However, he will hope that the team can bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign and replicate the form they showed in 2023 this year.