Fernando Alonso has claimed that his decision to re-sign with Aston Martin was 'easy' after he made up his mind to commit to racing in F1.
The two-time world champion was one of the many drivers in the market who were out of a contract at the end of the 2024 season. Alonso was on a list of potential candidates at Red Bull and Mercedes before he decided to continue racing with the Silverstone-based team.
Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, Fernando Alonso mentioned that he decided to re-sign with Aston Martin and continue in F1 around the Australian GP. He said:
“Once I took the decision, I think it was after Australia or something like that, I sat with Aston, which again is exactly the same as what I said in February, that it will be my first priority. It was not too difficult."
The Spanish driver also explained his reasoning behind continuing to race in F1 despite being 42 years old and achieving almost everything possible. He added:
“My love for F1 and my love for Aston Martin didn’t change, but I just wanted this time to really speak with myself and make the decision and the commitment.
"Obviously, F1 takes all your time, all your energy, you have to give up basically everything in life to keep racing, and I wanted to just speak with myself [to see] if I was ready to do so."
Fernando Alonso reveals if he ever contemplated retirement from F1
Fernando Alonso was coy about speaking on his future in the media interactions before re-signing with Aston Martin. He emphasized the importance of committing his full attention to the sport and the toll it took on his personal life.
Speaking recently to the media, the two-time world champion stated that he never contemplated retirement as he was sure that he would continue. He said:
“Not really. I think it never went to my mind, retirement. I had 99% confidence that I will keep racing next year, so retirement was not an option.”
With Fernando Alonso signing a contract extension for the Aston Martin F1 team, one piece of the puzzle is solved as he would race alongside Lance Stroll for a couple more years.
Earlier in the year, Alonso had pointed out that he was an 'attractive option' for many other teams on the grid as he was the only world champion on the grid without a contract.
