Fernando Alonso Still Has That Dog In Him; Signs Two-Year Extension With Aston Martin

A big piece of the 2025 Formula 1 grid puzzle has fallen into place with news that Fernando Alonso — at 42 years old — has signed with Aston Martin for two more seasons.

Alonso was non-committal when asked about his future earlier this year, and talked about needing to decide if he even wanted to continue racing in Formula 1, where he has raced for over two decades, save for a hiatus from following the 2018 season until the 2021 season.

He wants in, and this new deal will take Alonso through the 2025 season as well as the 2026 season, the first with brand-new engine regulations. Beginning that season, Alonso will switch to Honda engines.

Alonso's first season with Aston Martin after leaving Alpine following the 2022 season started as well as any season he had had in about a decade. While Aston Martin's form tapered off late, the start was still good enough to land him P4 in the driver standings behind only Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

Both of those teams have open seats for 2025, however, Alonso said the decision to stay in British racing green wasn't a tough one. 

"It was easy," Alonso said, per Formula1.com. "I think it didn’t change much from when we spoke in February at the car launch. I needed a few races, or a few weeks, to really think about myself, if I was ready to commit [to] more years in F1, because the calendars are just a little bit more intense now, the cars as well, the commitment."

Fernando Alonso's decision to re-up with Aston Martin will have a domino effect on the driver market. (Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images)

Alonso's Decision Is A Big One For The Driver Market

This news makes the 2024 driver market even more interesting than it already was, and it was already very interesting (if you're into this sort of thing). That's because Aston Martin was thought of as perhaps the best landing spot for the likes of Sergio Perez or Carlos Sainz if they lose out on the seats at Mercedes or Aston Martin.

There was also an argument that when Honda returns to the sport as an engine manufacturer in 2026, they could want a driver they back financially in one of the seats. RB's Yuki Tsunoda was the logical assumption, especially considering how well he has driven in 2024.

Now, Aston Martin has one driver locked up for 2026, while the other driver's dad owns the team… so basically they have their lineup for the first year of the new regulations, barring anything wacky.

There are still plenty of dominoes that need to fall, but Alonso deciding to stay and F1 with Aston Martin is a big one that could cause others to start falling.