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Following Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 exit from Mercedes, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is confident that he is in a favourable position to negotiate his future.
Recently, there has been considerable attention on Alonso, with speculations suggesting that the Spaniard might step into the position vacated by Hamilton at Mercedes.
In 2023, Fernando Alonso actively pursued a multi-year deal with Aston Martin, joining Lance Stroll. Alonso’s decision stemmed from his preference for a contract extension covering several years, as opposed to the single additional year offered by his then-current team Alpine at the time.
In the hot seat
Since speculation surrounding the vacant seat at Mercedes first started, Alonso has done very little to publicly solidify his loyalty to Aston Martin and has yet to directly address any rumours regarding a possible move.
Alonso’s tenure with Aston Martin is scheduled to conclude at the culmination of the 2024 season, intensifying anticipation for his next career move.
Even though he expressed confidence in considering his latest preseason fitness tests as his best ever, it appears that the Spaniard is hesitant to completely distance himself from the conversation, indirectly contributing to the growing speculation.
Alonso, alongside teammate Stroll, recently engaged in pre-season testing, which saw him complete 183 laps with a fastest time of 1:31.159.
Season ready
On the conclusive day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Alonso commented he felt he was in “a good position” referring to the buzz around him, despite this the Spaniard’s focus is solely on the season at hand.
“In my case, it’s very interesting because I have, I think, a good position to negotiate,” he said.
“But I want to at least do the first couple of races without thinking too much. I want to see myself into a new season. It’s going to be the longest-ever season in Formula 1 [at 24 races].”
Expressing a desire to optimise his travel schedule for greater efficiency, Alonso emphasised the importance of maintaining high energy levels throughout the extended 24-race season.
He remarked, “I want to change a little bit some of the travel schedule and things to be really efficient this year and arrive with high energy at the end of the year.”
Alonso also highlighted that, at present, his primary focus is not on the following year, indicating a deliberate intention to concentrate on the immediate challenges of the upcoming races before delving into discussions about his future beyond the current season.
He deemed it appropriate to comment on the rapid initiation of the driver market’s ‘silly season,’ characterized by a brief period of uncertainty and a significant amount of speculation swirling around the drivers.
“It was a surprise. I was expecting maybe around summertime to have a little bit of action, but it started really early. There were some leaks.
“Probably [Mercedes and Ferrari] have to announce earlier than expected. So, after that, definitely, more action going on.”
As it stands there are currently 13 drivers, with the two-time world champion being one of them, whose contracts expire at the end of the year.
Feature Image Credit: Aston Martin F1