Alonso spoke to F1 rivals before contract commitment

Fernando Alonso has confirmed he engaged in talks with rival Formula 1 teams before committing his future to Aston Martin.

Alonso announced last week he had penned a multi-year agreement with the Silverstone-based squad.

The Spaniard will compete in at least the 2025 and 2026 campaigns with Aston Martin after being linked with roles at other projects.

Alonso was touted as a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes while he was also linked to a blockbuster move to reigning world champions Red Bull.

Having opted to stay loyal to Aston Martin, Alonso revealed that he did have discussions with other F1 teams - but asserted they were only “light” talks.

“I did speak with other people as well, yes. I think it’s normal when you enter negotiations, you need to balance a little bit [and ask] ‘what is the market?’” Alonso told media including RacingNews365.

“You need to listen to everyone else as well. It’s just a normal procedure, and I think it’s fair to listen to all the proposals and see how the market moves.

“In my head, Aston was the logical thing for me to do. In the end, I felt the most wanted in Aston Martin.

“All the other conversations were just light, and never came to any conclusions or something like that.

“Maybe more time was needed, all these kind of things. While in Aston, it was a clear desire to work together, which was the same that I had. That’s why it came very easy.”

Alonso tight-lipped over team talks

Despite turning 43 later this year, Alonso continues to present himself as one of the most reliable drivers on the grid.

The two-time world champion was viewed as a key player in the driver market following Hamilton’s shock decision to join Ferrari.

However, Alonso would not divulge which teams he spoke to before signing an extension with Aston Martin.

“I will not be specific of which teams I speak as I think this is not any more important now and it’s a day for Aston Martin and a day for good news for Aston Martin,” he said.

“But it’s a normal conversation to have, same for teams, when they are searching for a driver, they touch everyone, just to know their position and their contract situation.

“Even if they are not super interested they always want to know everything and for me it’s the same, but without any cleat targets, and [the] first priority was Aston.”