Fernando Alonso, what comes next?
The 2026 season has not unfolded the way Fernando Alonso had hoped. The two-time Formula 1 world champion accepted Aston Martin’s project with the clear intention of enduring a difficult transition period before eventually driving for a team capable of fighting at the front under the new regulations.
Those ambitions appeared to be justified by Aston Martin’s aggressive recruitment campaign, particularly within its technical department, highlighted by the arrival of Adrian Newey. However, reality has dealt a severe blow to the expectations of both Lawrence Stroll and Fernando Alonso. Now, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the question is becoming increasingly unavoidable: what will Alonso do next?
As we reported a few days ago, Aston Martin remains Fernando Alonso’s preferred option. However, the team now faces a major challenge. It effectively needs to introduce a “B version” of its car, and that revised package must be genuinely competitive.
This interpretation is also supported by the French publication AUTOHebdo, which describes Alonso as standing at a three-way crossroads: remain with Aston Martin, retire from Formula 1, or pursue a move to Alpine.
Everything depends on how effective Adrian Newey’s corrections to the original AMR26 concept prove to be. Around a month ago, Fernando Alonso admitted that the car would likely remain largely unchanged until after the summer break, leading him to identify round 14 of the championship, the Madrid Grand Prix on September 13, as a possible point at which meaningful improvements could become visible.
More recently, however, speculation has emerged suggesting that Spa-Francorchamps on July 19 could instead be the venue where a significantly revised Aston Martin package makes its debut. At this stage, it cannot be ruled out that Fernando Alonso himself has pushed for the upgrades to arrive as early as possible, partly because he needs clearer answers regarding his future beyond 2026.
Any improvements would need to be immediate and substantial. In practical terms, they would have to be transformative.
At present, the AMR26 is believed to be around four seconds per lap away from the pace at the front of the field. Even more concerning for Aston Martin, the car reportedly lost approximately one second per lap to Cadillac during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Catalonia.
Over the next three months, however, Aston Martin’s rivals will not stand still. That means that even if the team introduces its upgrades earlier than expected, the effort may still prove insufficient to convince Fernando Alonso to remain.
If the Spaniard concludes, either through track performance or simulator data, that even the revised version of the car cannot deliver a competitive future, retirement could become a more attractive option than spending another season fighting far from the front.
Unless, of course, the Alpine scenario becomes a genuine possibility.
The French team has shown encouraging signs of progress compared to a disappointing 2025 campaign. Alpine also continues to project growing ambition, something reflected by its recent partnership agreement with Gucci. Perhaps even more importantly from a sporting perspective, Alpine benefits from Mercedes power units, a factor that could make the project considerably more appealing.
According to the French media, such a move remains unlikely at this stage. Nevertheless, there is one figure who could potentially persuade Fernando Alonso to make one final gamble in Formula 1.
That person is Flavio Briatore.
If there is anyone capable of convincing Fernando Alonso to embark on one last ambitious challenge before the end of his career, it is the man who played a central role in guiding him to his two world titles. For now, Aston Martin remains the favourite destination, but the coming months could prove decisive in determining whether Fernando Alonso continues racing, changes teams, or finally decides to walk away from Formula 1.
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