Fernando Alonso is the current veteran of the field and in 2026, for his last year of contract with Aston Martin F1, he will even be 45 years old!
But as his performances prove every week, the Spaniard remains at the level and at the top of his form. Even if small physical concerns (his back in particular) are starting to appear.
Regardless, Fernando Alonso no longer thinks about how old he is. As he assured him, he pays no attention to the little whispers behind his back which remind him of his date of birth (1981) in hushed words…
« I don't think about that too much. The media reminds me of certain statistics and figures from time to time, but for me I feel like I'm 25 or 30 years old and I'm still racing in F1. »
« I don't feel it. I feel motivated, I feel fresh, I feel fit to ride and to follow the same training that I've been doing for 20 years now, because it's more or less the same routine. »
However, there will come a time when Fernando Alonso will feel that he is no longer in such good shape. And then, he won't hesitate to say stop.
« My self-confidence will always be there, until the day I no longer feel comfortable in the car. If I feel – as you point out – that I am slower than my teammates, or slower than I think is possible with the car, if that day comes, probably I will raise my hand and stop racing, because that I will no longer enjoy it. »
At 43 years old, Fernando Alonso is still very much a racer… but for many young fans, he has almost become a mid-grid fighter. The Spaniard hopes to refresh their memories.
« I continue to deliver good performances and I stay motivated, and I don't feel like I'm going in circles, because every year I still have hope that this will be the season where I have a fast car . »
« There is a younger generation of fans and followers who have just arrived in F1 and they don't know much about me, they have never seen me win a race or they just rely on results. »
« But I still have hope of proving them wrong and having a fast car in 2026. »
The frustration of not having a dominant car
If Fernando Alonso strives to stay in F1 year after year, it is to rediscover the pleasure of driving a dominant car. Due to multiple bad career choices, this has not been the case for him since 2007 and his departure from McLaren F1…
« I never had a good car that allowed me to dominate anything, apart from my season in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota [en 2019-2020]. »
« That season I realized how wonderful it would be to have a dominant car in F1 as well, because you could achieve so many results and drive the way you want. »
« My whole career I've driven cars that maybe weren't the best at that time, even my two world championship titles. In 2005, the McLaren was the fastest car but their reliability was poor, so we made up for that and won the championship. »
« And then in 2006, they were very similar, but the Ferrari and Michael [Schumacher] had a few too many retirements, especially in Japan at the end of the year, and I won the championship. »
