Fernando Alonso Opens Up On Retirement Plans And Future With Aston Martin Team
Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso has opened up about his retirement from the sport as Aston Martin continues competing at the front of the grid.
The Spanish driver spoke about his highly-speculated retirement in a recent interview with his sponsors Bang & Olufsen, revealing that he had planned to retire a decade ago but assures fans that he is now not looking to do that anytime soon.
Alonso has finished in third place in all three races so far this season and is currently third in the drivers' championship with 45 points behind Sergio Perez with 54 points and ahead of Lewis Hamilton who has 38 points.
When asked when he might decide to walk away from the sport, Alonso responded:
"I would love to know the answer as well.
"When I started in F1, my idea was to be there for seven or eight years. Then I won the two championships, and I thought – I will race maybe one or two more years.
"Now I find myself with the longest career ever in F1, and I'm still fresh, still motivated, still enjoying every single day. So yeah, there's a few more years for me, and hopefully with a title contender in the future."
Discussing the future with Aston Martin, Alonso continued:
"[A third world title] is the aim for sure, but I think at the moment we have to keep our feet on the ground. The aim for the team is just to have a good season. They struggled a lot in 2022, so I think we have to – let's say – walk before we run.
"I think this 2023 campaign is about getting better, getting to know the car better, starting a new project from day one, and that's where we are at the moment. Hopefully we have more podiums, hopefully we fight for race wins, but I think to fight for the championship we need to set the team a little bit."