Fernando Alonso has “no idea” what he will decide to do once he eventually calls time on his Formula 1 career, as intrigue over his future continues.
The two-time F1 world champion has consistently stated he will make a decision on his future in grand prix racing around the summer break, while dismissing the timeline being linked to Aston Martin’s upcoming upgrade package set to arrive at the final race before the summer break in Hungary.
While Aston’s current woes and his general displeasure at the new generation of F1 cars are well known, speculation has grown that this could be Alonso’s final year in the series – talk he heightened when he stated last month’s Barcelona Grand Prix would be his last time at the venue.
But regardless of when Alonso calls time on his F1 career, the 44-year-old says he’s made no plans about what is next. When asked if he knew what he would do if he was not in F1, he simply said: “No, no idea.”
During the same media appearance at Silverstone, Alonso was specifically asked about walking the Camino de Santiago – a pilgrimage across Spain to Galicia with one of the routes going through his hometown of Oviedo – which he was open to but not until his newborn son is older.
“I wish I do it one day, but it will not be exactly right after the retirement,” he said. “Especially now with my son being three months old, I cannot think about going three weeks walking around Spain all with him. So I will have to wait a couple of years.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Alonso alluded to an aim of staying in motorsport, either in a different discipline or in a non-driving role in an F1 team.
“I have definitely some challenges ahead. Most of them are motorsport related. I want to win Dakar, I said many times,” he said.
“I may want to win different things. I want to challenge myself in endurance racing again, especially if Max [Verstappen] wants to do it one day as well. When I stop racing, I said I would like to continue with this team in a different role, try to help.
“I’ve been in Formula 1 for 26 years now and I think I can help the team. Probably I’m the second- or third-most experienced guy in the team at the moment.
“I think there are things that can be useful for the team and I prefer to use that expertise rather than being at home watching [on] TV.”
Alonso’s exploits outside of F1 during his stint away from the series in the late 2010s saw him become World Endurance Champion in 2018-19 and a two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner with Toyota in 2018 and 2019, as well as Daytona 24 Hours winner with Cadillac in 2019. The Spaniard also made three Indianapolis 500 entries, plus an outing at the 2020 Dakar Rally.
#310 Toyota Gazoo Racing: Fernando Alonso, Marc Coma
Photo by: A.S.O.
The 32-time grand prix winner also hinted at a return to sportscar racing, but felt sticking with Aston Martin was the most likely scenario. Aston Martin currently competes in both the WEC and IMSA with the Valkyrie Hypercar.
Alonso’s future is also one of the key focus points of the F1 driver market for this season, as if he opts to retire then it will leave a spot vacant at Aston Martin alongside Lance Stroll.
On Aston’s part, the team is eager to see Alonso remain in the race seat for 2027, with team boss Adrian Newey stating he hopes the team’s upgrade package for Hungary will entice him to stay for next year.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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