‘I feel that fire inside’ – Alonso explains decision to stay with Aston Martin for 2027

Fernando Alonso has outlined the factors that influenced his decision to continue racing with Aston Martin into 2027, with the Spaniard admitting that he still feels “that fire inside” as he prepares for his 24th season in Formula 1.

After speculation over his future in recent months following a tough start to the campaign for the team, it was announced ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that Alonso has extended his contract with Aston Martin.

This means that the squad will field an unchanged line-up next year, with Lance Stroll entering into his ninth season for the British outfit.

Having mentioned in the announcement that he believes he still has “the speed and determination to compete at the highest level”, Alonso reiterated that message as he shared further insight into why he wanted to stay during media day in Sepang.

“I still feel competitive and I feel that fire inside when I'm at the race weekend – I feel happier,” he explained. “If I'm sitting on the couch, watching F1 will be very difficult for me at the moment because I feel the need of being behind the wheel. The moment didn't arrive yet.”

Alonso went on to suggest that “deep thinking” was the decisive factor in opting to keep on racing, with the 45-year-old sharing further details on why he came to regret his decision to walk away from F1 for what would be a two-year hiatus between 2019 and 2020.

“I took my time [with this decision] because I have really to check the scenarios and all the possibilities for next year,” said Alonso. “When I took my sabbatical in F1, I was watching the races at home and I felt not comfortable there.

“I felt that I was not happier on the couch than on the circuit. I felt that I could have done this differently. I was watching an onboard and I said, ‘This was too early’. Back then I felt I should go back racing, because I still belong to the track and the cockpit.

“That thought came now back and I thought, ‘What if next year I watch races at home?’, and always when I was thinking that I said, ‘No way’. I still feel that I should be driving for at least one more year.”

With Aston Martin having experienced a difficult 2026 season, Alonso was also quizzed on whether he has felt encouraged that the team can experience a better campaign next year.

“You never know,” the two-time World Champion answered. “I think all the teams are very optimistic in October and November, and then in March you find reality.

“It's not about promising or expecting different things – it's just about making sure that everyone does their 100 per cent, that we are all motivated, that we are in the same direction forward. I think this year we saw some encouraging things, but still a long winter in front of us if we want to make things in a perfect way.

“I don't want to promise and I don't want to hear promises either. I just want to see discipline in the way we work, especially in the power unit – that's where the biggest hope is for next year.”

Alonso shared that he and the team “didn’t talk about” the possibility of him taking another role within the squad, though the Spanish driver suggested that “the moment that I stop racing, that option will start and we will discuss”.

“In the past we discussed about it, but this year it was more about racing or not and, once I made the decision, the team was always very supportive,” he continued. “It was a five-minute conversation honestly with Lawrence [Stroll] and the team, because everything was ready and set.”

Looking further ahead, Alonso suggested that he will “enjoy race by race” going forward rather than setting a limit on his career, adding: “I think it's more about the competitiveness feeling. It's not about thinking about my age, about any records or stats.

“It's more about feeling good and fast behind the wheel. Now I still feel [that], that's why I continue. The day I don't feel [that], that will be the day that I will call it off, but without thinking in numbers.”