(Motorsports news) Alonso will continue to race until the end of the 2026 Formula One season, which will bring him up to 45 years old, according to a recent renewal of his contract with Aston Martin.
As a result, he would be the oldest driver to compete in Formula One since Graham Hill in 1975.
At the Qatar round in 2024, Alonso, who now holds the record for the most grand prix races ever started, is expected to reach an unprecedented 400 GPs.
The Spaniard made his Formula One (F1) debut twenty years ago this coming year, and his most recent world championship was won by Toyota in the 2018–2019 World Endurance Championship.
Alonso’s contract with Aston Martin was recently renewed, meaning he will race until the end of the 2026 Formula One season, when he would turn 45.
He would thus become the oldest Formula One competitor since Graham Hill did it in 1975.
Alonso, who now holds the record for the most grand prix races ever started, is anticipated to attain an astonishing 400 GPs at the Qatar round in 2024.
This next year marks the 20th anniversary of the Spaniard’s Formula One (F1) debut. Toyota emerged victorious in the 2018–2019 World Endurance Championship, marking his most recent world championship.
He’s perhaps one of the oldest athletes competing at the highest level in the world, and I believe that it will likely never happen again in Formula 1. He is capable of doing it at the caliber that he has and does.
“And it will be very uncommon if you do. For that kind of thing, [I have] an enormous amount of respect. If I’m still going strong in 20 years, I don’t know if I’ll want to continue doing it.
“But I love where I am now and if I continue to do such a thing, yeah, we’ll see.”
In addition to Norris, Esteban Ocon of Alpine and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari expressed uncertainty over the optimal duration of their Formula One careers.
Ocon described Alonso’s record as “a dream career for any athlete or racing driver” stating, “I don’t know if I would still be racing at his age but, truly, his dedication is something that is an example for all of us” .
Although Leclerc acknowledged that it would be “difficult to imagine myself in 15 or 18 years’ time still [racing] in F1,” he also disclosed that he is considering a particular new late-career challenge.
“I would love to be racing still for many years,” he stated. “I absolutely see myself racing at Le Mans one day, but I would like to experience other things like that.
“I will race as long as I have complete motivation.” I also want to continue doing what I love for as long as I can since I like it.”
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