Journalist Joe Saward has shared who he believes two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will be driving for until the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The 2024 F1 driver’s market is yet to burst into action although it’s only a matter of time until teams start to make their moves with Carlos Sainz the key cog in plenty of potential changes.
Speaking on the Missed Apex Podcast, Saward was talking about the future of Fernando Alonso.
The 42-year-old is still one of the fastest drivers on the grid despite his age.
Since joining Aston Martin, time and again he’s extracted the full potential out of their car where Lance Stroll has been unable to.
The Canadian was quicker than his teammate in all three practice sessions in Australia and finished above him in qualifying.
However, until his 20-second penalty was applied, Alonso once again finished ahead of his teammate when it really mattered.
READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2
Fernando Alonso’s future up until 2026 season may already be decided
Although Carlos Sainz is the most obviously available top driver in the F1 market, Fernando Alonso isn’t far behind.
His contract with Aston Martin expires at the end of the season and he’s looking at all of his potential options.
The Spaniard is reportedly pushing to join Red Bull and would be satisfied replacing either Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez.
The idea of Verstappen and Alonso racing each other in the same car is exciting but unlikely to happen given Christian Horner’s stance on having two alphas in the same team.
There’s also a vacant seat at Mercedes for 2025 and Alonso is reportedly on their list of potential replacements for Lewis Hamilton.
However, Fernando Alonso might already know where he’s driving up to the end of the 2026 season.
His options are more limited than they first appear, especially considering the gap between the top five and bottom five teams right now.
Fernando Alonso’s F1 future may already be settled
Speaking about Alonso’s future, Saward said: “He’s going to stay where he is for two more years.
“I would think so. There’s no question of whether he wants the contract, it’s a question of whether he can get contracts from other people.
“And all this chat on the Internet is all very well, and all this Twitterati stuff.
“The fact is, who actually wants him? I don’t think the answer’s Mercedes, I don’t think the answer’s Red Bull.
“So, his best option would therefore appear to be Aston Martin as Ferrari are obviously not really interested in him as they just signed Lewis.
“His best option would be to stay where he is. In fact, it’s the perfect position for him as he doesn’t have a teammate he needs to beat and he’s got a bit of speed in hand if he slows down with age.
“So, the only slight drawback is they’re going into a relationship with Honda, but times change and the management changes and people might just forget that he said appalling things about Honda.
“But, if not he’s in the skip and at the age of 40-something, that’s probably fair enough.”
Aston Martin desperate to keep Fernando Alonso
In an ideal world for Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso will commit his future to the team for 2026 and potentially even beyond.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
He’s going to have talks with his current team before assessing his options elsewhere.
Team principal Mike Krack wants to offer him a contract in the next few weeks although Alonso has admitted that the current F1 schedule is one of the reasons why he’s considering his future.
Lance Stroll is unlikely to lose his seat given his father Lawrence is the executive chairman of the team.
However, Eddie Jordan has admitted he wouldn’t be surprised if Alonso was joined by someone else from next season.
The post ‘He’s going to’: Journalist now believes he knows who Fernando Alonso will drive for until the end of 2026 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.