After mulling over his future choices Alonso put pen to paper on a multi-year cope with Aston Martin, which can embody driving in F1 for a minimum of the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Relying on whether or not Alonso will need to proceed or not, that F1 deal can both be prolonged or transformed right into a non-driving position with the model in what the Spaniard referred to as a “lifetime challenge”.
Alonso will flip 45 in the course of the 2026 season and whereas the two-time world champion sees no indicators of slowing down any time quickly, he says he can be sincere if he does really feel he’s dropping any of his drive.
“It’s true, I can be 45 or extra and preserve racing,” he mentioned. “If in the future, I really feel that I am not motivated, not in fine condition or not quick…I believe I’ve a really sincere relationship with Aston.
“I would be the first one to lift my hand and say: ‘You understand, I’ve perhaps misplaced right here or there’ and we are going to discover options.
“However I do not see that coming for the subsequent few years. As I mentioned in Japan, most likely considered one of my finest races ever perhaps occurred simply 5 days in the past, so I’m feeling good. I do not see any downside there.
“And Lewis [Hamilton] will flip 40 subsequent yr in January, so a minimum of I can’t be the one 40 plus that you’ll discuss [about]!”
Alonso, who mentioned retirement from racing was by no means an choice, defined he used the hectic season begin to query whether or not or not he needed to proceed his flat-out dedication to F1’s relentless schedule with 24 races and off-track actions.
After the Australian Grand Prix, he made the choice to hunt an extension with Aston Martin as he felt his love for F1 trumped his wariness of the sequence’ demanding life-style.
“Clearly, System 1 takes all of your time or your power, you must quit mainly the whole lot in life to maintain racing,” he elaborated.
“I wanted a couple of races or few weeks to essentially assume for myself if I used to be able to commit for extra years.
“It was not a racing issue, it was extra the travelling, to be sincere. this calendar, I used to be slightly bit afraid that this can be heavy on me.
“There are all of the commitments pre-season with all of the photoshoots, video, automobile launch. All these sorts of issues are fairly demanding for drivers, and for me significantly on this a part of my profession.
“So I mentioned, let me undergo that powerful interval initially of the yr and that powerful interval of touring, time zones, huge planes and these sorts of issues.
He concluded: “I felt that I like an excessive amount of driving, that I can’t cease in the meanwhile. And I believe the sacrifices that you must make are smaller than the enjoyment of driving and the eagerness that I’ve for driving.
“I breathe System 1, I stay System 1, I prepare to be match to drive System 1 automobiles, I eat to be match to drive System 1 automobiles.
“And it did not arrive, the second that I felt I would like to alter the life-style. My life-style is nice.
“I like what I do, so I can’t be joyful sitting at dwelling and watching System 1 races as a result of in the meanwhile I nonetheless really feel that I ought to be there.”
