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Do you think Aston Martin’s upgrade could convince Fernando Alonso to continue as a driver? – Robert
Fernando Alonso is out of contract at the end of the year and has to decide whether to stay in F1 next year.
He turns 45 on Wednesday and has been doing it for 25 years. He wants to be sure he made the right decision because, unlike when he walked away from F1 in 2018, this time he’s gone and won’t be coming back.
Alonso has been discussing his mindset on his future throughout the season. In short, he says he will continue racing, but he doesn’t know if it will be in F1.
He enjoys the competition of F1, but – like most of his peers – is unimpressed by the new generation of engines and power management requirements and how this detracts from the driving experience.
He was less clear about how competition from the Aston Martin-Honda package would affect his decision.
Alonso is a difficult person to read, and can be gnomic when he speaks.
My feeling is he’s inclined to continue, but only if he feels he can be confident Aston Martin will be in decent shape next year. Another year like its first half – stuck at the back, racing nobody – has no appeal.
In Hungary, the debut of the new Aston Martin car was a remarkably positive step. Alonso made it from first qualifying for the first time this year and the race pace was strong.
The team, it turns out, expected an improvement of around two seconds from aerodynamic improvements and weight-savings, and at least in Hungary, it was fairly delivered. It’s a remarkable move – almost unheard of in mid-season upgrades.
It was also important because the upgrade was a test of the factory’s ability to deliver performance – which it hadn’t for three years.
The next step is the new Honda engine, which will make its race debut at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break.
The Honda lags far behind the other power units – something in the region of 1.5 seconds per lap, Aston Martin believes internally.
The upcoming upgrade won’t narrow that gap completely. But it is expected to shrink by about a third of that.
It is equally important for Alonso. He will want to see evidence that Honda can improve – not least because he has previous experience of Honda’s promises not materializing from his time at McLaren from 2015-17.
I’m told he’ll wait to see how it goes before properly considering his decision on his future.
The team wants him to stay. Team principal Adrian Newey said at the weekend: “Fernando is an amazing driver. He brings a lot to the team, both in terms of his reactions and his ability.
“So, for us, of course it’s important. I’m pretty confident that Fernando is enjoying his time with us and we’ll continue our relationship.”
In the end it depends on Alonso.
