Mika Hakkinen hails ‘warrior’ Fernando Alonso as he extended his Aston Martin stint till 2026

While praising the Spaniard for his patience and dedication, Hakkinen had the following to share. 

Fernando Alonso is going to stay in F1 until at least 2026. When I retired from Formula 1 I knew I needed a break from the incredible pressure which came with racing, testing and travelling all the time. Now we have 24 races, and I usually raced with only 16 races each year. But back then we had unlimited testing, so it was normal to race on the weekend and then fly to another country to test the car from Tuesday to Thursday. However, I was 33 – Fernando is 42. What a warrior! Mikka Hakkinen via X

The Spanish driver first raced in the Chinese GP back in 2001, almost 23 years later he is still part of the sport and is all set to drive at the technical Shanghai International Racing Circuit. Previously Alonso had opened up about his plans after racing, as well as about the struggles that come with age. His contract extension is his way of asserting that there is still more racing left in him. 

Fernando Alonso only wants to focus on Aston Martin 

After agreeing to a contract extension with the Silverstone-based team, Fernando Alonso acknowledged that he also had discussions with other teams. Mercedes was once connected to the Spaniard.

Regarding the interest from other teams, he also made it known that they were nothing more than light conversations.

I think there’s really no point talking too much because now it is done and I’m with Aston, and I would like to only talk about Aston. Fernando Alonso via: Planetf1

Fernando Alonso has been leading Aston Martin’s charge since 2023. He had a very productive campaign last year where he amassed several podiums. Keeping in view how Alonso’s ongoing stint with Aston Martin has panned out so far, he will hope for much of the same during the upcoming years.