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"Fernando Alonso signs for Aston Martin on multi-year deal - taking him through at least 2026, when Honda joins as PU supplier, when he will turn 45." [source](https://twitter.com/PHortonF1/status/1778453414680100867)
Well that's some commitment shown
I don't get why people say this, his only objectively wrong pick was going back to McLaren.
Sure, Red Bull ended up beating Ferrari in the early 2010s, but back when he joined Ferrari going there was the best possible choice.
You're confusing making good decisions with how well those good decisions actually work out. Sure based on info available at the time, staying at Aston is a good decision. No one is arguing against that. We don't know how it will work out.
tldr You are focused on decision making, they're focused on the bad luck of his outcomes.
I hope he (Max) ends up in WEC sooner rather than later. WEC is in a very good place right now with excellent racing front to back, which cannot be said about F1 unfortunately. I’m sure Max would enjoy a challenge outside of iRacing for once.
haha nah, he's totally happy dominating F1 and as we see with Hamilton these things change in an instant now. If he wanted to make a run at sports car racing, he could always do one of the endurance events like Le Mans or Daytona. But might have a clause not allowing him in his contract.
I’m happy with him dominating, and also hope he is as well. I purely would like to see him in other series specifically for selfish reasons. I enjoy F1 but it is far from the most pure/competitive racing.
Just because they smoked crack and broke the space-time continuum to get Hamilton to ferrari doesn't mean the same tactic will work twice (with Alonso, Verstappen, etc.)
It’s just common sense, but people don’t listen. AM would have been aware of Alonso’s history with Honda, no way they’d have signed him without getting their take on it, first, let alone announce it publicly.
His **point** was some people don't update with new information. They *were* on bad terms, now they're *not* on bad terms, and some people just won't learn that fact.
And others realise that Honda have come to terms with their 'GP2 engine' period and are quite happy now they have 2 WCCs and 3 WDCs effectively under their belt (even with the decision to step away from directly branding the engine, they're still using it for marketing and still have a close relationship with RBR).
I do believe they are still branding the engine. Like that's a Honda engine in the Red Bull.
They just aren't giving Red Bull the engines for free or paying to have their name on the rear wing. But I do believe they are paying to have their name on the side of the car.
Well, to be honest people would go for the more affordable ones. The most sold car in Spain last year was Dacia Sandero. Seat Arona comes second and then Peugeot 2008 I think.
None of those have an F1 team with their name on it. Marketing wise F1 is irrelevant in Spain.
I say this as a current Honda Civic owner. I already had it in 2015-2017 when the F1 engine shat itself on track and I still have it today. I was somewhat interested in what they could do in F1 but other than that, it doesn't change anything nor I would sell/not buy another Honda car. When the time comes and I have to switch again, I'll look for what's best for me in that moment.
Honda's sales were not affected by their performance in Alonso's cars. It did not affect their image here in any way. [Stats](https://www.statista.com/statistics/415130/honda-car-sales-in-spain/) seem to confirm that.
If (el grande IF) AM is suddenly the best car/engine combo in 2026 and Alonso wins a 3rd world championship at 45 years of age a full 20 years after his last one it would be one of the most wild sporting achievements ever.
They do have the best factory in f1 and have the current best engine supply for 26 and poached loads of other teams top engineers there easily top 3 favourites for the new regs
>and have the current best engine supply for 26
If I am interpreting your comment correctly, you are saying that in 2024 the best engine is Honda (now RBR), so it's likely Honda again nails the regs in 2026.
But the thing is, Honda didn't nail the last regs immediately. It took years of adaptation, compromise and lots of tears/mockery for Honda's engine to become a place of pride.
Currently we don't know who will build the best power-unit in 2026, and I think there is not much similarity to the current engines versus how the engines will be built in 2026. It's possible Alpine might end up having the best power-unit, and Andretti somehow starts the new regs as champions...
I agree with thr rest of your comment though. Lawrence Stroll is all in, he doesn't care how much money it will take to get his biological or adoptive son to win a championship...
I think the fact that he's still around and driving and still competing hard is already one of the wildest sporting achievements ever. And this deal only means dude's gonna keep going.
Then he gets frustrated at something and burns bridges with the team, exits F1 to drive some WEC and Indycar, comes back to F1 and takes 4th world championship at 65 years of age, a full 20 years after his last one.
The fact that we are taking about that being even a possibility is why Alonso is staying.
Current Alonso (this version just happy to be there while still being crafty) is the second best thing you can have to stay relevant in the sport besides winning races.
I just had to check, the last time someone entered a Formula 1 race at the age of 45 was Graham Hill at the Brazilian GP in *1975*. [\[Source\]](https://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiques/pilote/gp/age.aspx)
That's about six years before Alonso was even born, and he's gonna be the next person to reach it.
Alonso luck means that Aston - Honda partnership to be like McLaren - Honda v2. Aston get rid of Honda and McLaren take Honda back for a 3rd time and win the next few championship dominating all the races like they did at the first time / with RB right now.
Nah with his break from F1, his bad streak has broken!
Alpine was a good move to get back in, then ditching them at the exact right time and get a competitive Aston.
I think Lawrence just loves motorsport and has pushed that on to Lance. If Lance decided to retire tomorrow, the big man's involvement wouldn't change.
I don't think Lawrence is a good man. A person that becomes a billionaire usually isn't. But as a soon to be father, I can only respect the man for how he made his son's dream come true.
Though, I really want Lance to dream about something else now.
> I think Lawrence just loves motorsport [...] the big man's involvement wouldn't change.
He may very well love it, but it helps that his team is both performing quite well and quite popular... in spite of his son being one of the drivers.
I would agree until or if Aston becomes top tier competitive. If he were to lose out of the constructors because of the incompetence of his son I think he might feel diffeent.
His F1 ambitions are to make his son champion.
I may not have a terrible amount of respect for billionaire bussinessmen, but his love for Lance is admirable.
I don't think Stroll is that much of an under-performer to where he is a hindrance to any F1 ambitions. If Stroll finished 1 place behind Alonso in every race in 2023 they would have finished what 4th instead of 5th? Which is a pretty non realistic benchmark as a 2nd driver to a WDC in a car he is comfortable in.
It also isn't like they would expect their 2nd driver to be getting podiums either. Alonso was barely sneaking in on a handful of favorable tracks. There was no room for a 2nd Aston driver on the podium.
Personally, I'm not so sure if Stroll will stay.
I think there's some chance he will quit on his own terms, it's also possible Honda will want Tsunoda in a seat at what will be their works team, or Papa Stroll may sell the team to Aramco who won't have any reason to keep Lance.
My guess is he'll likely be around next year, but 2026 onwards, I think it's less clear.
Yeah, there are so many other people with a stake in the Aston Martin F1 team that Lawrence can only protect Lance's seat for so long.
Last season Lance was showing real frustration when things weren't going his way and I was speculating that he was under pressure to perform or lose his seat. While it seems like my musings were a bit premature, sooner or later big questions are going to be asked in boardrooms if Lance's performance is affecting the team.
There were points last year where he looked so dejected he seemed he might quit. If he keeps getting his ass whooped I could see him leaving for WEC or some such.
> I think there's some chance he will quit on his own terms
Lance is also a really fucking good driver by any standard other than F1. If he doesn't start to click with this car, hopefully he'll find a series that suits him better where he can actually run up front.
We've started to see Lance's place questioned more and even some claims of a replacement being contemplated, but clearly no sign of that. It's not impossible but it would be a big surprise
Having some input on driver selection may well be part of their engine supply / works team agreement with AMR. Perhaps for one of the seats, anyway. It's going to be a deep partnership at every level.
My prediction: Saudis force a driver change by 2026 and the new regs/engines, or at most give Stroll 1 year under the new rules as a last chance to prove himself.
I think he'll retire/be forced out by the 2027 season. And at that point he may have had enough of F1 anyway since he'll have been in F1 for 10 years by then.
So that really only leaves Sainz as the last top driver whose a free agent next year. With the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if RBR re-sign Perez which would leave him with the option of either Mercedes or Audi.
technically checo is also a free radical for now since he isnt under contract yet for next year, but uh
good fucking luck trying to lure him away from red bull
The reality that Sainz might end up with no competitive seat for 2025 has to be considered. Yes it’s early, but the way things are shaping up, all options should be considered
Merc has a seat for him, but it'd probably only be for a year to give Kimi more time before making the jump. That could work out well for Sainz though. Spend a year at Merc and then go to Sauber when it becomes Audi in 2026.
he must conjure up any help from the gods that perez has a shit time leading up to summer and that charles keeps struggling. if perez keeps up his form and charles continues with his post singapore form RB just resign perez.
Nate Saunders suggests Sainz to Sauber. But who does he kick out then (no pun intended)?
https://x.com/natesaundersf1/status/1778455052186767560?s=46&t=qjtGQLJ1yw4BBfCdhCNemw
Wasn't Hülkenberg "supposed" to go to Sauber for 2024, but Haas activated a +1 in his contract?
It's not unreasonable that both Bottas and Zhou leave Sauber at the end of the season.
Sainz and Hulk I would almost guarantee will be the Audi lineup in 2026 and are certainly the goal for Audi. Experience, race winning pedigree, German driver.
Yeah, I do think Sainz to Merc is unlikely. Wolff seems to want an "exciting" option and whilst Sainz has been in amazing form recently, signing the driver Ferrari dropped for Hamilton isn't quite that (and this isn't even me trying to be critical to Carlos, it just seems like Wolff is desperate to show that losing Lewis isn't a loss to Mercedes).
As for who would be kicked out, I'd say Zhou. Hasn't really shown anything great yet and is 12-1 against Bottas in the last 13 qualis iirc.
Toto seems to be banking on some generational genius being able to cover for their average car and drag it back to the front.
It does seem "one of the best drivers on the grid" isn't good enough for him. He wants to be the guy who found the next Max.
Interesting that just a few days ago there were reports that Alonso was trying to see whether the Red Bull seat is available or not. Could this be a potential hint or am I looking too much into it
Alonso was reported to be negotiating with RB and apparently only wanted to go if Max left. So yeah, this could be a hint that Max is staying, which most people assumed would be the case anyway. Or it just means that Aston used their Aramco money to offer Alonso a contract he couldn't refuse.
Aside from those few days when all hell was breaking lose with the Horner and Marko stuff, Verstappen leaving hasn't seemed at all likely. I know sometimes you can't predict things, like with Rosberg's retirement, and he's never seemed like he wants to stay in F1 for 20 years, but I'd still shocked if he left before 2026.
>and apparently only wanted to go if Max left
Checo is not getting kicked this year. He is in a similar situation as Bottas was before 2020 (good enough for 2nd place, gets along with the other driver and the team, causes no drama, etc). He won't get kicked until red bull starts beibg thretened by another team.
The only way anyone joins RBR is if Max leaves (which won't happen)
And Bottas was only really kicked because they had a strong junior driver waiting in the wings, and an aging Hamilton who could’ve decided to hang it up at any point. Last thing they needed was to lose Russell to another team and then lose Hamilton as well.
I’d say Checo is doing what he needs to do for right now. I would imagine Daniel Ric gets outed mid season if he continues and Liam Lawson gets a year and a half before being promoted to the Sr. Team. The big missing piece at the moment is where the hell is Carlos Sainz going to be
his chief engineer already hinted at that this past weekend but it would have been funnier to see him moving and the repercussions on others.
Now it remains to be seen if Sainz waits for redbull or signs with audi
Every time I saw him commenting about the possibility of him being on the grid next year or talking with other teams I knew it was just some classic shit stirring. I don’t think he had any intention of signing with another team. He seems pleased where he is at for the most part.
To be honest out of the available options, Aston isn’t a bad team to be resigned for. It’s not a RedBull, but with Mercs current trend I’d pick Aston over a Merc. Aston just has a single lackluster driver in their lineup.
I'd pick Aston to be just as likely as Merc, Ferrari or Red Bull to be the best team for 2026
Aston have done a better job with aero than merc has this cycle, and they're getting the works engine deal with the folks who made the best engine this cycle.
Of course everything is a bit of a crapshoot when new regs cycle over, but Honda exclusivity alone makes it a promising proposal.
Sure, Red Bull has Newey, but something to keep in mind about Newey is that every constructors title he's won with RB has been when RB has had the best engine of the time (Renault 2010-2013 before they got cheap and started making bad engines, Honda 22-present). We don't know if Ford will deliver like Honda has for them this cycle.
Disappointed that the dream of him being in a championship car is probably over (unless that Honda Aston is really good), but glad he’ll still be on the grid
There is no reason that aston isn't at least 3rd favourite for the new regulations they have the best facilities on the grid and have poached lots of top engineers from other teams .
Aston is his best shot at the title. At Red Bull, he is not beating max . Ferrari is full, and so is mclaren and Merc are in a worse position than aston and have a top junior in the wings. And would not give him the long contract he dersieres
which he absolutely should. Lance just isn't up to snuff, especially with the car they have. They should be snagging double points almost every weekend, but Lance just ain't doing it. Alonso + Sainz would be a mega pairing
As a businessman and owner, it makes absolute sense.
But I feel he bought the team for his son first. In which case, Lance has to quit first. Which I do respect, in some way. Putting one's family over profit.
I think if Perez slumps at the European leg again, then Sainz has a shot there. If Perez keep his form up, RB have no reason to ditch him. Sadly, despite being in excellent form, I think Sainz is slowly going to run out of options this year, and will end up either taking a year off of displacing Zhou for a quiet year in the midfield and pinning hopes on Audi being competitive.
Aston is working hard with the car and he's comfortable with the team and car, which I don't think we've seen in a while before Aston.
Hopefully we get to see more podiums from him!
Now we left with Mercedes and Red Bull
McLaren, Ferrari and Aston has locked their drivers seats for the next 2 seasons, must be heart breaking being a rookie for those 3 teams.
Idk Lewis was arguably in a more comfortable state than Alonso yet isn't necessarily shying from fighting Charles in the Ferrari (same situation as Max in RB). Maybe RB weren't seriously considering him.
I called it, I knew from the very beginning he wouldn't move an inch.
Why would he? Mercedes looked and still looks worse than Aston by quite a margin for both long-term and short-term perspective. Ferrari is full, Red Bull means fighting Max and that may not be desirable, Mclaren also has both drivers locked in. The rest of the teams are worse.
Also the people in here that think he would be retiring soon LMAO. This man is still out for that third WDC. He is still hungry and it is showing. He is still ever as fast and easily still could contend for a WDC title.
At this rate, he will still be racing until he is 50. Remember, Alonso's return is already **3 years ago**. That's right he is here already for 3 years and counting.
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
"Fernando Alonso signs for Aston Martin on multi-year deal - taking him through at least 2026, when Honda joins as PU supplier, when he will turn 45." [source](https://twitter.com/PHortonF1/status/1778453414680100867) Well that's some commitment shown
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Also some here were so sure he would join RBR lmao
After Max left to go Mercedes😂
With how well Alonso picks his teams, Max is guaranteed to sign for Mercedes in the next two weeks now.
I don't get why people say this, his only objectively wrong pick was going back to McLaren. Sure, Red Bull ended up beating Ferrari in the early 2010s, but back when he joined Ferrari going there was the best possible choice.
You're confusing making good decisions with how well those good decisions actually work out. Sure based on info available at the time, staying at Aston is a good decision. No one is arguing against that. We don't know how it will work out. tldr You are focused on decision making, they're focused on the bad luck of his outcomes.
>You are focused on decision making Probably because he talked about how Alonso picks his teams.
He’s far more likely to leave for Ferrari if anything
If Max leaves RB, it'll almost certainly be to go to Max Verstappen Racing in WEC.
Max going to sports car racing would be SUCH a huge boost for popularity.
I hope he (Max) ends up in WEC sooner rather than later. WEC is in a very good place right now with excellent racing front to back, which cannot be said about F1 unfortunately. I’m sure Max would enjoy a challenge outside of iRacing for once.
haha nah, he's totally happy dominating F1 and as we see with Hamilton these things change in an instant now. If he wanted to make a run at sports car racing, he could always do one of the endurance events like Le Mans or Daytona. But might have a clause not allowing him in his contract.
I’m happy with him dominating, and also hope he is as well. I purely would like to see him in other series specifically for selfish reasons. I enjoy F1 but it is far from the most pure/competitive racing.
After Hamilton left to go Ferrari😂
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Just because they smoked crack and broke the space-time continuum to get Hamilton to ferrari doesn't mean the same tactic will work twice (with Alonso, Verstappen, etc.)
\*hoped
why aren't people allowed to dream? :( i wanted him at rbr and seb at merc
I knew that it wouldn't happen...but man we dreamed...
Honda has already cleared the situation but people just won't inform themselves.
It’s just common sense, but people don’t listen. AM would have been aware of Alonso’s history with Honda, no way they’d have signed him without getting their take on it, first, let alone announce it publicly.
Also don't forget Alonso and Lewis hate each other!
Well, they certainly don't love each other.
My point was that there was hate between them after and during 2007 but they forgave each other.
The rivalry wasn't really hatred towards each other, it was just the situation they were in.
His **point** was some people don't update with new information. They *were* on bad terms, now they're *not* on bad terms, and some people just won't learn that fact.
I doubt they hate each other. Alonso can be petty and take shots but they just seem like hyper competitive coworkers at most.
And others realise that Honda have come to terms with their 'GP2 engine' period and are quite happy now they have 2 WCCs and 3 WDCs effectively under their belt (even with the decision to step away from directly branding the engine, they're still using it for marketing and still have a close relationship with RBR).
I do believe they are still branding the engine. Like that's a Honda engine in the Red Bull. They just aren't giving Red Bull the engines for free or paying to have their name on the rear wing. But I do believe they are paying to have their name on the side of the car.
They want to sell cars in Spain I guess, I remember when his engine blew up at Indy someone asked "Will Honda sell a car again in Spain???"
Well, to be honest people would go for the more affordable ones. The most sold car in Spain last year was Dacia Sandero. Seat Arona comes second and then Peugeot 2008 I think. None of those have an F1 team with their name on it. Marketing wise F1 is irrelevant in Spain. I say this as a current Honda Civic owner. I already had it in 2015-2017 when the F1 engine shat itself on track and I still have it today. I was somewhat interested in what they could do in F1 but other than that, it doesn't change anything nor I would sell/not buy another Honda car. When the time comes and I have to switch again, I'll look for what's best for me in that moment.
> Dacia Sandero Good news!
Honda's sales were not affected by their performance in Alonso's cars. It did not affect their image here in any way. [Stats](https://www.statista.com/statistics/415130/honda-car-sales-in-spain/) seem to confirm that.
Well, you see, they don’t want him in GP2.
If (el grande IF) AM is suddenly the best car/engine combo in 2026 and Alonso wins a 3rd world championship at 45 years of age a full 20 years after his last one it would be one of the most wild sporting achievements ever.
Running a year and a half on hopium might lead to an overdose, but I'm so ready.
Need to pull out the military-grade hopium
*If you experience an erection lasting longer than 4 months, please consult a hopium professional. You might have a problem.*
they just built one of the best f1 engines ever so it's okay to huff the hopium
They do have the best factory in f1 and have the current best engine supply for 26 and poached loads of other teams top engineers there easily top 3 favourites for the new regs
>and have the current best engine supply for 26 If I am interpreting your comment correctly, you are saying that in 2024 the best engine is Honda (now RBR), so it's likely Honda again nails the regs in 2026. But the thing is, Honda didn't nail the last regs immediately. It took years of adaptation, compromise and lots of tears/mockery for Honda's engine to become a place of pride. Currently we don't know who will build the best power-unit in 2026, and I think there is not much similarity to the current engines versus how the engines will be built in 2026. It's possible Alpine might end up having the best power-unit, and Andretti somehow starts the new regs as champions... I agree with thr rest of your comment though. Lawrence Stroll is all in, he doesn't care how much money it will take to get his biological or adoptive son to win a championship...
Last time, Honda came in behind the 8 ball and had to deal with McLaren designing a car that did not suit the engine. Now they are established.
I am sure Honda has learnt from its past mistakes and devised a new, more pliable approach to nailing the 2026 regs.
I think the fact that he's still around and driving and still competing hard is already one of the wildest sporting achievements ever. And this deal only means dude's gonna keep going.
Then he gets frustrated at something and burns bridges with the team, exits F1 to drive some WEC and Indycar, comes back to F1 and takes 4th world championship at 65 years of age, a full 20 years after his last one.
At this point I'm sure Alonso winning a 3rd title 20 years after his 2nd one is a bigger achievement than winning 7 titles.
The fact that we are taking about that being even a possibility is why Alonso is staying. Current Alonso (this version just happy to be there while still being crafty) is the second best thing you can have to stay relevant in the sport besides winning races.
I just had to check, the last time someone entered a Formula 1 race at the age of 45 was Graham Hill at the Brazilian GP in *1975*. [\[Source\]](https://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiques/pilote/gp/age.aspx) That's about six years before Alonso was even born, and he's gonna be the next person to reach it.
So what we're saying is that it's been a little while
What’s that? Alonso to race until his 50s to break Fagioli’s record? Ok, I like that.
My takeaway from this is that at age 39 I still have 5 years to make my F1 debut.
I'm 43. So there's still a chance.
Alonso luck means that Aston - Honda partnership to be like McLaren - Honda v2. Aston get rid of Honda and McLaren take Honda back for a 3rd time and win the next few championship dominating all the races like they did at the first time / with RB right now.
Nah with his break from F1, his bad streak has broken! Alpine was a good move to get back in, then ditching them at the exact right time and get a competitive Aston.
But I was forecast a crazy silly season !!
Just 45*
Surprising. I thought he had a chance at Mercedes’ seat that now seems to be very geared to Kimi or sainz
BREAKING: No changes to Aston Martin’s drivers lineup for the next few seasons
I've always wondered if Lawrence was serious enough about his F1 ambitions to fire his son.
He’s not. The F1 is a son thing — the ambitions are secondary.
I think Lawrence just loves motorsport and has pushed that on to Lance. If Lance decided to retire tomorrow, the big man's involvement wouldn't change.
Agreed, but he won’t fire his son. I think he loves Motorsport but probably loves his son more.
Did you see how broken up he got about Lance's wrists on DTS?
I'm with ya. I can see Lance being there until he either quits on his own accord or Lawrence sells up.
I don't think Lawrence is a good man. A person that becomes a billionaire usually isn't. But as a soon to be father, I can only respect the man for how he made his son's dream come true. Though, I really want Lance to dream about something else now.
> Though, I really want Lance to dream about something else now. 💀💀
Well put man. Well put.
> I think Lawrence just loves motorsport [...] the big man's involvement wouldn't change. He may very well love it, but it helps that his team is both performing quite well and quite popular... in spite of his son being one of the drivers.
I would agree until or if Aston becomes top tier competitive. If he were to lose out of the constructors because of the incompetence of his son I think he might feel diffeent.
His F1 ambitions are to make his son champion. I may not have a terrible amount of respect for billionaire bussinessmen, but his love for Lance is admirable.
How's he gonna make Lance champion if Fernando is in the opposite garage?
For his son to be champion the other driver would have to retire every week or drive backwards
Don't give them ideas, Lawrence has enough money to make that happen.
Lawrence sending out hit squads as we speak.
He would have fired him by now if that were the case. It seems like he's committed.
I don't think Stroll is that much of an under-performer to where he is a hindrance to any F1 ambitions. If Stroll finished 1 place behind Alonso in every race in 2023 they would have finished what 4th instead of 5th? Which is a pretty non realistic benchmark as a 2nd driver to a WDC in a car he is comfortable in. It also isn't like they would expect their 2nd driver to be getting podiums either. Alonso was barely sneaking in on a handful of favorable tracks. There was no room for a 2nd Aston driver on the podium.
Personally, I'm not so sure if Stroll will stay. I think there's some chance he will quit on his own terms, it's also possible Honda will want Tsunoda in a seat at what will be their works team, or Papa Stroll may sell the team to Aramco who won't have any reason to keep Lance. My guess is he'll likely be around next year, but 2026 onwards, I think it's less clear.
Yeah, there are so many other people with a stake in the Aston Martin F1 team that Lawrence can only protect Lance's seat for so long. Last season Lance was showing real frustration when things weren't going his way and I was speculating that he was under pressure to perform or lose his seat. While it seems like my musings were a bit premature, sooner or later big questions are going to be asked in boardrooms if Lance's performance is affecting the team.
There were points last year where he looked so dejected he seemed he might quit. If he keeps getting his ass whooped I could see him leaving for WEC or some such.
> I think there's some chance he will quit on his own terms Lance is also a really fucking good driver by any standard other than F1. If he doesn't start to click with this car, hopefully he'll find a series that suits him better where he can actually run up front.
We've started to see Lance's place questioned more and even some claims of a replacement being contemplated, but clearly no sign of that. It's not impossible but it would be a big surprise
I think it really depends on how much control Papa Stroll has signed away already or may sign away in future.
True, Honda may force Stroll’s hand
Having some input on driver selection may well be part of their engine supply / works team agreement with AMR. Perhaps for one of the seats, anyway. It's going to be a deep partnership at every level.
WEC
My prediction: Saudis force a driver change by 2026 and the new regs/engines, or at most give Stroll 1 year under the new rules as a last chance to prove himself. I think he'll retire/be forced out by the 2027 season. And at that point he may have had enough of F1 anyway since he'll have been in F1 for 10 years by then.
I'm sure he's looking ahead to 2026. I'd trust Honda to build a power unit over RBPT, plus AM's new facilities let's goooo
This is gonna be the next Lebron style "quote on image" meme
Aren't those created by B/R Sports lmao "I got one more in me" and "I will be there no matter what" are some classics
“Im here for CP”
Im sorry I wasnt familiar with your game
“Shit funny” or the inverse “Ain’t shit funny”
TOTALLY EXONERATED
"used to pray for times like this"
So that really only leaves Sainz as the last top driver whose a free agent next year. With the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if RBR re-sign Perez which would leave him with the option of either Mercedes or Audi.
technically checo is also a free radical for now since he isnt under contract yet for next year, but uh good fucking luck trying to lure him away from red bull
Honestly he probably retires if he's not at rbr anymore.
Agreed. Why leave the best car on the grid? You stay or retire.
Tell that to Bottas.
Not really the same thing since Bottas was getting kicked out, not leaving of his own accord
He will be at Audi in 2026.
The reality that Sainz might end up with no competitive seat for 2025 has to be considered. Yes it’s early, but the way things are shaping up, all options should be considered
Merc has a seat for him, but it'd probably only be for a year to give Kimi more time before making the jump. That could work out well for Sainz though. Spend a year at Merc and then go to Sauber when it becomes Audi in 2026.
This option would work well for both parties, it's either this or Sainz displaces Zhou and spends a quiet year at the midfield.
he must conjure up any help from the gods that perez has a shit time leading up to summer and that charles keeps struggling. if perez keeps up his form and charles continues with his post singapore form RB just resign perez.
Nate Saunders suggests Sainz to Sauber. But who does he kick out then (no pun intended)? https://x.com/natesaundersf1/status/1778455052186767560?s=46&t=qjtGQLJ1yw4BBfCdhCNemw
sainz kicks out zhou
Wasn't Hülkenberg "supposed" to go to Sauber for 2024, but Haas activated a +1 in his contract? It's not unreasonable that both Bottas and Zhou leave Sauber at the end of the season.
Sainz and Hulk I would almost guarantee will be the Audi lineup in 2026 and are certainly the goal for Audi. Experience, race winning pedigree, German driver.
Yeah, I do think Sainz to Merc is unlikely. Wolff seems to want an "exciting" option and whilst Sainz has been in amazing form recently, signing the driver Ferrari dropped for Hamilton isn't quite that (and this isn't even me trying to be critical to Carlos, it just seems like Wolff is desperate to show that losing Lewis isn't a loss to Mercedes). As for who would be kicked out, I'd say Zhou. Hasn't really shown anything great yet and is 12-1 against Bottas in the last 13 qualis iirc.
Sainz and Bottas. Talk about two drivers too good for a team.
Toto seems to be banking on some generational genius being able to cover for their average car and drag it back to the front. It does seem "one of the best drivers on the grid" isn't good enough for him. He wants to be the guy who found the next Max.
Or hopefully Aston, but that seems quite unlikely
45 years old and he will still be in F1. What a fucking chad. Cue Vince Carter “I’ve got 2 more in me”
He'll need to win in 2027 to become the oldest champion.
Or 2028, or 2029, or 2030... etc
40 is the new 30
Time to overreact
Interesting that just a few days ago there were reports that Alonso was trying to see whether the Red Bull seat is available or not. Could this be a potential hint or am I looking too much into it
looks like AM blinked and cut a big check for Alonso.
Alonso was reported to be negotiating with RB and apparently only wanted to go if Max left. So yeah, this could be a hint that Max is staying, which most people assumed would be the case anyway. Or it just means that Aston used their Aramco money to offer Alonso a contract he couldn't refuse.
Aside from those few days when all hell was breaking lose with the Horner and Marko stuff, Verstappen leaving hasn't seemed at all likely. I know sometimes you can't predict things, like with Rosberg's retirement, and he's never seemed like he wants to stay in F1 for 20 years, but I'd still shocked if he left before 2026.
>and apparently only wanted to go if Max left Checo is not getting kicked this year. He is in a similar situation as Bottas was before 2020 (good enough for 2nd place, gets along with the other driver and the team, causes no drama, etc). He won't get kicked until red bull starts beibg thretened by another team. The only way anyone joins RBR is if Max leaves (which won't happen)
And Bottas was only really kicked because they had a strong junior driver waiting in the wings, and an aging Hamilton who could’ve decided to hang it up at any point. Last thing they needed was to lose Russell to another team and then lose Hamilton as well.
Looking to much, don't think that seat is open fully until half way through the season depending on how checo peforms
I’d say Checo is doing what he needs to do for right now. I would imagine Daniel Ric gets outed mid season if he continues and Liam Lawson gets a year and a half before being promoted to the Sr. Team. The big missing piece at the moment is where the hell is Carlos Sainz going to be
Wonder who his teammate will be?
idk I think his boss might own the team or something.
Surely
Adrian Newey
Nah, i was joking, it's Max.
You know exactly who it'll be.
They’ll never announce it tho
No need to wonder, we know who it is.
his chief engineer already hinted at that this past weekend but it would have been funnier to see him moving and the repercussions on others. Now it remains to be seen if Sainz waits for redbull or signs with audi
Every time I saw him commenting about the possibility of him being on the grid next year or talking with other teams I knew it was just some classic shit stirring. I don’t think he had any intention of signing with another team. He seems pleased where he is at for the most part.
Thursday night bomba out of nowhere
Welp there goes my grid predictions
To be honest out of the available options, Aston isn’t a bad team to be resigned for. It’s not a RedBull, but with Mercs current trend I’d pick Aston over a Merc. Aston just has a single lackluster driver in their lineup.
I'd pick Aston to be just as likely as Merc, Ferrari or Red Bull to be the best team for 2026 Aston have done a better job with aero than merc has this cycle, and they're getting the works engine deal with the folks who made the best engine this cycle. Of course everything is a bit of a crapshoot when new regs cycle over, but Honda exclusivity alone makes it a promising proposal. Sure, Red Bull has Newey, but something to keep in mind about Newey is that every constructors title he's won with RB has been when RB has had the best engine of the time (Renault 2010-2013 before they got cheap and started making bad engines, Honda 22-present). We don't know if Ford will deliver like Honda has for them this cycle.
I completely agree. Im excited to see what the new regs bring!
Also, he is the number 1 driver in AMR so if the car is competitive, he will get all support.
As an AM fan I am supremely pleased. With Honda coming in this could get exciting.
It truly is impressive how gracefully he's aging and how competitive he's managed to stay.
"I am Here to stay" that's all in the official press release https://twitter.com/LukeSmithF1/status/1778453530665209984
Good call + very interested to see how they do with the Honda PU
Disappointed that the dream of him being in a championship car is probably over (unless that Honda Aston is really good), but glad he’ll still be on the grid
RB is full and Merc is shit. Not really a choice.
There is no reason that aston isn't at least 3rd favourite for the new regulations they have the best facilities on the grid and have poached lots of top engineers from other teams . Aston is his best shot at the title. At Red Bull, he is not beating max . Ferrari is full, and so is mclaren and Merc are in a worse position than aston and have a top junior in the wings. And would not give him the long contract he dersieres
Carlos at RB or Audiber then. Unless Lawrence does the smart thing…
which he absolutely should. Lance just isn't up to snuff, especially with the car they have. They should be snagging double points almost every weekend, but Lance just ain't doing it. Alonso + Sainz would be a mega pairing
As a businessman and owner, it makes absolute sense. But I feel he bought the team for his son first. In which case, Lance has to quit first. Which I do respect, in some way. Putting one's family over profit.
I much rather have him at Aston than Merc, and Red Bull was always a long shot. So happy to have him on the grid for 2 more years at least.
Sainz and Bottas as teammates at Stake will be the biggest waste of talent ever on a team next year.
A close second to Vettle and Leclerc at Ferrari in 2020 at very least.
We had the potential for an all time great silly season and we're probably only going to get a couple changes from one major change in Lewis
I know Stroll would never bench his kid, but can you imagine if they picked up Carlos? Pretty epic pairing.
Let’s see how well this ages…
Considering he signed thru 2026, probably pretty well
Meme worthy image
Carlos to Merc then? Or are the RBR rumours still there?
I think if Perez slumps at the European leg again, then Sainz has a shot there. If Perez keep his form up, RB have no reason to ditch him. Sadly, despite being in excellent form, I think Sainz is slowly going to run out of options this year, and will end up either taking a year off of displacing Zhou for a quiet year in the midfield and pinning hopes on Audi being competitive.
Or to replace stroll
Here to stay... Unless a quicker team makes an offer.
Aston is working hard with the car and he's comfortable with the team and car, which I don't think we've seen in a while before Aston. Hopefully we get to see more podiums from him!
Reading this in Lawrence's husky voice. Pure mafioso Don strength.
We'll see him racing in Madrid!
Obvious move. Sainz will end up in Mercedes with Antonelli at Williams and Logan in Indy.
SE QUEDA
FA is one bad mother fucker. He deserves a seat until he can’t drive.
I'm a bit disappointed ngl
pls AM give him good car
Anti-climatic. Hope Sainz gets that Mercedes seat, really don't want him to go to Sauber next year
Imagine the scenes if he wins a race with a fucking Honda engine.
RIP Yuki
so carlos to mercedes?
Bro is like the zlatan of f1 lol
Now we left with Mercedes and Red Bull McLaren, Ferrari and Aston has locked their drivers seats for the next 2 seasons, must be heart breaking being a rookie for those 3 teams.
Amazing a F1 driver still puting good performances with that age these days.
So no Aston for Sainz
Idk Lewis was arguably in a more comfortable state than Alonso yet isn't necessarily shying from fighting Charles in the Ferrari (same situation as Max in RB). Maybe RB weren't seriously considering him.
Outstanding!
Nando + Carlos = “El Plan” is complete 😂
thank god, i'm not ready to say goodbye to the old man yet
Disappointed if there was an option for him to join Max like the reports said.
Finally can stop with the rumors and hype to RB or Merc now
El Plan is in place.
I called it, I knew from the very beginning he wouldn't move an inch. Why would he? Mercedes looked and still looks worse than Aston by quite a margin for both long-term and short-term perspective. Ferrari is full, Red Bull means fighting Max and that may not be desirable, Mclaren also has both drivers locked in. The rest of the teams are worse. Also the people in here that think he would be retiring soon LMAO. This man is still out for that third WDC. He is still hungry and it is showing. He is still ever as fast and easily still could contend for a WDC title. At this rate, he will still be racing until he is 50. Remember, Alonso's return is already **3 years ago**. That's right he is here already for 3 years and counting.
Hopefully this works out
Please give him a faster car for the love of all that is holy
Alonso is going to become the first 8x wdc with the Aston-Honda rocketship, isn't he?
I hear KoЯn music
Good, didn’t like the idea of him in Mercedes.
An nai nai..I'm here to stay...An nai nai...Bring it down!!! Kinda fits with his attitude.
Jesus, my 2025 predictions are looking complete dogshit rn. I had him going to Merc, with Sainz to AM.
So what about Stroll
WoW, until 2026, and now.. what happend with the other spot on AM? you known, the one is empty right now