Alonso Signs Multi-Year Contract with Aston Martin, Denies Mercedes Move

The Aston Martin F1 team announced Thursday that star driver Fernando Alonso has signed a new multi-year contract with the team.

The news ends speculation that Alonso will retire from F1 again at the end of this season or move to Mercedes-Benz AMG, which is looking for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who will move to Ferrari next season.

"Much has been said and written about my future in Formula One in recent months, but today I am delighted to announce that I have signed a multi-year contract with Aston Martin Aramco and will stay," Alonso said in a statement.

Alonso, a double world champion who turns 43 this year, is the most experienced driver on the grid, having competed in 381 races. But his performance has not diminished: since joining Aston Martin in 2023, he has six podium finishes in the first eight races of the season.

He will still be at Aston Martin in 2026, when a new era featuring new power units and car manufacturers will arrive. For Aston Martin, the power unit supplier will switch from Mercedes to Honda for the 2026 season.

Alonso's teammate at Aston Martin is Lance Stroll, son of Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll. Alonso's teammate at Aston Martin is Lance Stroll, son of Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll.

In recent years, Alonso has dabbled outside of Formula One. The highlight of his career was his participation with Toyota in the World Endurance Championship in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, each time winning the overall 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. He also entered the Indy 500 in 2017 and 2020 with McLaren's IndyCar team in a bid to win the Triple Crown of motorsports (Monaco Grand Prix, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Indy 500), but had less success there.