Will Fernando Alonso be racing in F1 in 2026 when the Aston Martin-Honda partnership takes effect? The Spaniard gives his take

Fernando Alonso believes 2026 is a long way ahead to predict his own career at Aston Martin, who will collaborate with Honda in the future. The Spanish driver felt that 2026 is a new set of regulations and it is difficult to predict the package Honda can produce with Aston Martin.

Asked what his plans are for 2026 when Honda partners with Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso replied:

“Forty-four. I will be 44. I mean, I don't know what I will do in 2026. I will lie if I tell you that I know right now. For sure, I feel fresh, I feel motivated now. I feel sharp, still fast. And if I keep enjoying it, I would love to keep racing. But I know there is going to be one time, I know that one day I will wake up and I will not feel maybe motivated or happy to keep travelling and all these kinds of things.

"Or maybe, I don't feel fast and I will be the first one to raise my hand and say, 'You know, maybe, it's time'. So let's see, I think it's a long way until 2026.”

He added:

“I will focus, first of all, on Monaco now, because I think it's an important weekend and then this season, the next one, hopefully we can make another step and fight for bigger things. And then, racing again with Honda, no, it's going to be no problem at all from my side. I know that it didn't work out last time, 2015, ’16, ’17.

"It was even worse, maybe for some of my teammates, you know, like Stoffel or whatever, coming from dominating F3, F2, and then joining a project that maybe was not fully ready back then. But, you know, I think they proved that they have now a competitive package. They won the championship in ’21. They won a championship in ’22 and most likely will win the championship in ’23. So, I think they have now a very strong package and you know, it's a new set of regulations, but I think it will be a very exciting project for sure.”

The Spaniard’s precious tryst with Honda powering the McLaren resulted in him calling their engine a GP2 engine. It forced him to take a sabbatical as the McLaren-Honda partnership struggled to produce a competitive package.

Citing his past experience, Fernando Alonso felt that although it hadn’t worked out in the past with Honda, their engine did win championships for Red Bull. The double champion feels it’s difficult to predict what he will be doing in 2026 and whether he will be around. He was excited by the prospect of the collaboration after Honda’s success with Red Bull but felt it is still many years down the line.

---

Fernando Alonso feels confident about winning the Monaco GP this weekend

Fernando Alonso

Stating that the Monaco GP weekend was a unique opportunity for Aston Martin to win, Fernando Alonso expressed his views on the upcoming Grand Prix. The double champion believes it is a rare opportunity for their team, which needs to be maximised.

Overviewing the Monaco weekend in the driver’s press conference on Thursday, Alonso said:

“I think the same as any other race, to be honest. I think we are not thinking that we are the strongest in Monaco. I don't think that this is going to be a huge change compared to Baku, which is still a street circuit. Miami… I think Ferrari was outstanding in Baku and we could see another great weekend for them here.

"But then, you know, if I tell you that I don't come here thinking that I can win the race, I will lie to you, because this is a one-off opportunity. We know that Monaco, Singapore, there are specific race tracks that you need to gain the confidence on the free practice, get closer and closer to the walls, and yeah, I will attack more than any other weekend, yes.”

Given the characteristics of the Monaco circuit, Alonso is optimistic about claiming the 33rd victory of his career in the principality. The double champion’s prospect of winning makes it an interesting contest for the fans after a slew of Red Bull victories since the commencement of the 2023 season.