Fernando Alonso says he will wait until after the August summer break before deciding whether to continue in Formula 1 next year, putting his future with Aston Martin on hold for now. The two-time world champion said in Miami that he needs time over the summer to think, talk with his family and weigh up what comes next.
"Sometime in the summer, I need to make a decision," Alonso said. He added that he has not sat down in depth with himself yet, and that he needs to speak first with his family and his people before deciding what to do next year.
Alonso, 44 and set to turn 45 in July, is in the final year of his contract with Aston Martin after joining the team in 2023 from Alpine. He said he is relaxed about the choice because he still sees racing as an option, but he also made clear he is prepared for either path. "If I continue racing, I think it will be a better season than this one with the project in year two," he said. "If I stop racing, I know that I will race in other series."
He said there is no rush to lock anything down before the summer break. "I'm open to everything," Alonso said. "Until probably after the summer break I will not really sit down with the team and make the decision. We need to see also how the car improves and how we see things into next year."
The timing matters because Aston Martin is trying to reset for the next phase of its Formula 1 project after a difficult start to the new rules era for the team and Honda. Alonso has been the team's lead driver on track and has outqualified Lance Stroll for 40 consecutive Grands Prix, a run that underlines why his bosses are likely to want him to stay if he chooses to race on.
He was also blunt about where his loyalties sit. "I am also linked with this team, with this project. I want to succeed here behind the wheel or not being the wheel. You will see me in the paddock even if I stop racing," he said. Alonso added that he is performing well enough to show the team he can deliver results if the car becomes competitive, while also saying, "I'm helping the team as much as I can. I think it could be more up to me."
The decision is taking place against the backdrop of a personal change that has altered how he looks at life. Alonso became a father in March, when he and Melissa Jimenez welcomed their first child together, a boy. The cancellation of the April Grands Prix in the Middle East gave him extra time at home in the first weeks of his son's life, and he said the experience has changed his outlook. "I have some thoughts, I cannot lie. It does change the way you see life," he said.
Alonso has said before that he is not yet at the point of bringing his racing career to an end. For Aston Martin, the question is not only whether the 2027 season could be his 24th in Formula 1, but whether the driver who has been the face of its effort so far still wants to keep steering it forward.
