Alonso-Aston Martin, a losing bet (for now)
Fernando Alonso has never been famous for making the right career choices in Formula 1. The two-time world champion often paid the price, especially in the first part of his adventure in the Circus, for a strong personality and courageous decisions. As the years passed, the Spaniard smoothed out the sharper edges of his character, but too often found himself at the wheel of single-seaters not up to his talent.
Alonso’s latest gamble bears the name of Aston Martin. The project desired by Lawrence Stroll, enthusiastically embraced at the beginning of 2023, had hinted at a future as a protagonist. The first season ended with eight podiums and the feeling that the team could approach the top of Formula 1, especially in view of the regulatory revolution of 2026.
However, expectations have been completely unmet. The Aston Martin AMR26 has turned into one of the biggest flops in recent Formula 1 history, relegating Alonso steadily to the back of the grid for the entire first half of the championship. A hard blow for a driver who had chosen the British project precisely with the aim of fighting for the world title again.
Szafnauer’s words
As an outside observer, Otmar Szafnauer is closely following the situation. The former Alpine team principal, in charge when Alonso left the French team to move to Aston Martin, recalled that decision to High Performance: “He said he wouldn’t want to race for a team that celebrated fourth place, and that he wanted to become world champion”.
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According to Szafnauer, today Alonso might even consider a sensational return to Alpine for one last adventure with Flavio Briatore: “He wouldn’t go to win. If he went, he would probably do it for 20 million reasons,” he declared, referring to the possible salary.
At the moment, however, it is difficult to imagine that Alpine’s financial offer could exceed that guaranteed by Aston Martin. If Alonso were to truly leave Lawrence Stroll’s team, the choice would be dictated primarily by sporting reasons.
In this sense, the Hungarian Grand Prix will be decisive, where the B version of the AMR26 designed by Adrian Newey will debut. If even the updates fail to boost the car’s performance, Alonso’s future at Aston Martin could seriously come back into question.
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