Fernando Alonso has hinted he is yet to decide whether to continue racing in F1 beyond the coming season. The Spaniard begins his 21st season in the sport this year having made his debut with Minardi in 2001, though he has returned following two separate breaks away from a full-time race seat. His switch to Aston Martin from Alpine last year began with promise as he secured six podiums in the opening eight races but given Max Verstappen and Red Bull's dominance, Alonso was unable to break a dry spell of race wins that has lasted over a decade. With his contract running out at the end of the season, Alonso faces a dilemma: stick with Aston Martin as it continues its push to the top of F1, or search elsewhere, knowing that Mercedes definitely has a seat open following Lewis Hamilton's announcement he will move to Ferrari for next year.
'I need to decide if I want to keep racing'
During the Aston Martin launch and pre-season testing, Alonso was non-committal when answering questions related to the vacant Mercedes seat. Again pressed on the topic, the two-time World Champion told media including RacingNews365 : "First of all I need to decide if I want to keep racing - that will be the first thing I need to decide in a few weeks or a few races time. "I feel great now but I know it's a demanding calendar and in 2026, there are a different set of regulations as well, which may be tempting or maybe not, I don't know. "But yeah, let's see. As I said at the car launch, I will wait a few races to decide."
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