Fernando Alonso proclaims he still has ‘few more years’ of him left in F1

Fernando Alonso believes that he still has a few more years left as a Formual1 driver.

Alonso left F1 in 2018 before returning to the grid in 2021 with Alpine. After two years with the French team, he jumped ship to Aston Martin at the end of last year, replacing the retired Sebastian Vettel.

The Spaniard is the oldest driver on the grid this season, though he has rarely shown signs of age catching up with him. He's still one of the finest drivers in the sport and has stood on the podium in the first three races of 2023 — Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

The 41-year-old currently sits third in the drivers' standings, only behind the Red Bull Racing pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

In an interview for Bang & Olufsen, for whom Alonso serves as the global brand ambassador, the two-time world champion reflected on his F1 journey and his future in the sport. He said:

"When I started, my idea was to stay for seven or eight years, then I won the two championships and I thought about spending one or two more years and stopping, and now I find myself with the longest career in the history of F1."

Fernando Alonso added:

"I'm still fresh, I'm still motivated, I'm still enjoying every day, I wake up in the morning and I'm happy to do what I do. There are a few more years for me and hopefully with a title contender."

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Fernando Alonso's former team principal backs driver to stay in F1 for a few more years

Fernando Alonso's former team principal Paul Stoddart has praised the Spaniard's potential and dove into how he can still race at the highest level for a year or two.

Speaking on an episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast, Stoddart said:

"No, I’m not really surprised [that he's still racing]. Because if you’re good enough – and Fernando is good enough – if you are determined enough and you have still got that fire in your belly to want to go out there and, if you can’t win the race but do the best possible thing you can do, then he’s certainly no slouch."

He added:

"So he’s still up there with them – the race craft, the ability, the natural talent, the hunger, it’s all still there. None of it has gone away. Now, age is going to catch up with him but it hasn’t yet. I reckon he’s got a few years left."

Fernando Alonso made his F1 debut with Stoddart’s Minardi in 2001, with the Spaniard being on loan at the team from Benetton/Renault.