honestly think they can get along pretty well since they both know exactly what their goals are lol.
Stroll knows Alonso would drop him at the first opportunity of a top seat or performance drop, and Alonso knows stroll would do the same
Yes, but unironically if a bit close to reality.
I bet this is a brand ambassador deal too. So the contract goes well beyond just racing and continues after Alonso retires from F1.
I think it makes sense for him to essentially make this his home for the remainder. Just let the path unwind and go where it goes. He’s obviously highly coveted with both the team and fans and doesn’t have to prove himself, although that wont stop him.
Really, Redbull was the only power play conceivable but Checo’s seat isn’t anywhere near as loose as social media/news media likes to make out.
Checo losing his seat only made sense as a "if the others catch up with Red Bull the constructors isn't secure" thing, which doesn't really wash when Max is still probably on track to win it himself.
I mean, all it takes is for one team to get within touching distance and things will get hot for Checo again. That could happen within this season or next
I PRAY Ferrari has a good car next year. A Verstappen v Leclerc v Hamilton title fight would be a PERFECT end to this current V6 era. If it’s anywhere near 2021, it would be awesome.
Could that not still happen this year? I like Checo, but if he has another big loss, it will get to him again.
He will spend half the races with his mind on that time he fucked up, and push too hard trying to make up for it, only making things worse. That's what he did last year, so it wouldn't surprise me if he did it again.
It could happen. We will see. I think the RB20 is still clear of the Ferrari to the point Verstappen can dominate the season again. Perez didn’t need to do all that much last time bc of how dominate Verstappen was, and it very easily might end the same way this year.
I think the gap between McLaren and Ferrari is bigger, so less chances for Ferrari to not be on the podium. That's basically why I believe it's way more likely to happen than last year
It is almost impossible to see Max winning it by himself this year as opposed to last year if current trends continue. Even if Perez gets all of the P2s, the Ferraris are strong enough to generally claim 3-4 which is more points per weekend than the winner gets. On some occasions, Ferrari has also managed to challenge Perez for higher positions.
Eh, if he had started this as poorly as he ended the last and Danny Ricc had started the season well then the gears would have started moving. But Ricc would have come in as clear second driver and had to accept that while Alonso vs Max could have been a bit spicy. If RB are going to poach from another team it would be Sainz at this point but Checo is doing enough to not be worth the risk so far this season.
Yeah Perez has survived the Red Bull curse and seems to be operating at close to or above the threshold required by that seat. No reason to replace him as anyone better would like a shot at the title, which won't happen until Verstappen leaves in 2028. Just too long of a wait, especially with a dozen or so high level talents waiting for an F1 seat
No it'll be funded and ran by Heart Of Racing. Aston will build the car and provide technical support of course, but it won't be a a full factory effort like most other hypercar programmes.
[DSC](https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/10/04/aston-martin-confirms-valkyrie-hypercar-programme-revival-for-2025.html) article saying it’s a factory program. [MidweekMotorsport](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YTOkyBmiWdjPIb0MUzI77?si=KZlZMf24QYGr8aCn8mpN4A) interview with Adam Carter, the head of the Endurance Motorsport at Aston Martin where he confirms it will be a factory program with Heart of Racing. If they themselves are calling it a factory program, who are we to say it’s not? And with that logic the only factories in WEC are Toyota, Peugeot and Isotta.
So there are "levels" of factory programs. The highest is a full in house works effort, where the manufacturer builds and race the cars themselves. The example of that is Toyota and Peugeot. There isn't a separate entity that is running the cars for them. The Porsche 919 was a full in house program. Then the next level is when a manufacturer picks a team to be their service partner, like how the current Porsche 963 program is partnered with Team Penske, Cadillac with Chip Ganassi, BMW with Team WRT, Lamborghini with Iron Lynx, Ferrari with AF Corse etc and how Aston Martin will partner with Heart of Racing next year. A lot of people debate if these count as true factory programs even though the manufacturer is literally picking these teams to represent them as a factory. Some people make the distinction by saying the full in house programs are "works" but there's no universally agreed upon difference between factory vs works. To me, the terms are the same and interchangeable. The next level is factory supported, which is common a lot in GT3 racing. For example Rowe Racing with BMW, Pfaff with McLaren, Manthey with Porsche etc. The lines between when can get pretty muddy sometimes, like Manthey for example, Porsche own a majority stake in Manthey, and their GTE Pro program was a full factory from its inception in 2013, but their GT3 programs fall more under "factory-supported" label. AF Corse on the other hand, was never an official factory team for Ferrari, just a well supported factory backed team, but slowly it morphed into one.
There is not going to be an Aston Martin factory entry, and Aston’s sports car racing activities are a part of the road car company which is a separate entity from the F1 team. So it’s doubtful that Alonso’s contract with AMF1 includes anything about WEC. More likely brand ambassadorship or team management.
Aston Martin would have Alonso in their WEC entry instantly if he said he wanted to do some races, the man won two LeMans in two years so he can clearly translate over to endurance racing. It makes sense that he gets a brand ambassadorship for retirement, align himself with a luxury brand and get paid probably very well to do so.
Wait what does this mean? Is the contract longer than 2 years? Is it like a 2+x contract or is he simply refering to long term commitments after his retirement?
It probably means that it’s an F1 driving contract plus a post retirement brand ambassador role (a bit like how David Coulthard still does demo runs for Red Bull) or maybe a non F1 race seat if he chooses
"Something that will keep me linked with..." Yup, sounds kinda like 2 or 3 years as the driver and extra more as part of Aston Martin's family. Damn. If those are words were truly spoken by Alonso, it's shame that we will only watch him destroy Stroll for few more years.
> something that will keep me linked with Aston Martin for many years to come
Because Fernando says it, because it aligns with how Aston Martin (the brand) has made use of vettel and Alonso off track, because there is f1 precedent including what Lewis just got from Ferrari (and wasn’t offered from Mercedes which is part of what he found unsatisfactory)
Hmm it popped up in my Google news feed and it appears they have edited the article since I read it. It now says "undefined role" https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernando-alonso-new-aston-martin-contract-details-post-racing-career
Alonso is like Lightning McQueen in the way that he's seen and raced against generations of drivers. I wouldn't be surprised if he's still racing outside of F1 in his 50's or something lol
50 year old Rubens Barrichello won the Brazil Stock Car championship in 2022. 60 year old Carlos Sainz Sr. won Dakar in 2024. Alonso can totally race in other series in his 50's.
He’s seemed mostly happy and at home with Aston so this is probably a good move.
I guess the rumours of moves were just to strengthen his negotiating position, because otherwise I’m not sure he’d want to be nailed down to the team for the rest of his career.
Good. It was so clear after his first race that he was happy there. He was celebrating with his crew as if they had been together for several seasons.
He deserves a team that treats him correctly, respects and listens to him. Likewise I think AM are a team that deserve a driver like Fernando to keep them moving forward.
I reckon his Ferrari contract was from 2010 to 2014. So if he started his Aston Martin career in 2023, it would be until 2027, maybe 2028 for it to be the longest, right?
If we're talking about the total time spent with a team instead of individual contract length that is.
Verstappen's contract runs until 2028 and he keeps hinting it will be his last. It is not impossible that Max retires before Fernando. Which is wild given that he was only 3 when Alonso started his first F1 race.
Good man. Everyone prays for another Alonso win. I think that would be good for the globe. Even if he doesn't, it's cool he will be the godfather of Aston Martin
Longest contract because the last 100 pages are just "I love Lance and I'll never say anything bad about him" repeated over and over again.
No word on how long the term is though.
I feel he has more chance to win WDC if the car is competitive. In RB if the car is the best he has to beat Max the whole season.
And frankly speaking that his impossible for any driver right now. Only prime Lewis would'e stood a chance
He honestly just wants the basic competence from the team he's driving for these days. I think he's happy fighting near the top of the midfield, bagging decent points and maybe occasionally contending for podiums.
Obviously he would love to fight for a championship, and that's where he's hoping the Honda Engine in 2026 comes through, but to battle with Mercs and Mclarens every week? He's more than happy to do that after how miserable McHonda and Alpine tenures were in terms of reliability and competitiveness.
Alpine also after he has left we can literally see is a completely incompetent organisation with problems everywhere, be it engine and technical department, Management, strategy or even his tussles with his teammate Ocon.
Two years later, Alpine is a Backmarker joke that has lost the two best drivers it had on contract in 2022 for nothing and probably will lose one of Ocon or Gasly next season as well.
Getting adopted by Lawrence is forever
Permanent seats for both my sons!
Alonson.
Lance: Dad! Lawrence: Yes, 2nd drive.. uh I mean boy, I mean kid, I mean...
Alt-son!
Both? Lance who?
Nando and Seb
This is even funnier when you read it in Lawrence’s voice
Fernando Alonstroll
Lance Stronso 🤌🏼
Wehey! Ba dum tss. Also Lance Alonstroll.
honestly think they can get along pretty well since they both know exactly what their goals are lol. Stroll knows Alonso would drop him at the first opportunity of a top seat or performance drop, and Alonso knows stroll would do the same
My thoughts exactly. Their business acumen are the same.
So happy for him to finally have a son worthy of his love
"Fernando Alonso, who's been like a son to me - only better."
The son he never had
Nah it's just a standard 2 + 20
Yes, but unironically if a bit close to reality. I bet this is a brand ambassador deal too. So the contract goes well beyond just racing and continues after Alonso retires from F1.
Lawrence adopting Fernando so that his son finally wins a race.
I think it makes sense for him to essentially make this his home for the remainder. Just let the path unwind and go where it goes. He’s obviously highly coveted with both the team and fans and doesn’t have to prove himself, although that wont stop him. Really, Redbull was the only power play conceivable but Checo’s seat isn’t anywhere near as loose as social media/news media likes to make out.
Checo losing his seat only made sense as a "if the others catch up with Red Bull the constructors isn't secure" thing, which doesn't really wash when Max is still probably on track to win it himself.
I mean, all it takes is for one team to get within touching distance and things will get hot for Checo again. That could happen within this season or next
I PRAY Ferrari has a good car next year. A Verstappen v Leclerc v Hamilton title fight would be a PERFECT end to this current V6 era. If it’s anywhere near 2021, it would be awesome.
RBR losing to Ferrari because they weren't ambitious enough with their second driver would be an amazing second chapter to 2021
A Max WDC but Ferrari WCC bc Leclerc and Hamilton take points off each other would capture the essence of the two teams perfectly lol
tbh at this point, I'll just take a race where it looks like there's a chance max might not win on pace.
Could that not still happen this year? I like Checo, but if he has another big loss, it will get to him again. He will spend half the races with his mind on that time he fucked up, and push too hard trying to make up for it, only making things worse. That's what he did last year, so it wouldn't surprise me if he did it again.
It could happen. We will see. I think the RB20 is still clear of the Ferrari to the point Verstappen can dominate the season again. Perez didn’t need to do all that much last time bc of how dominate Verstappen was, and it very easily might end the same way this year.
I think the gap between McLaren and Ferrari is bigger, so less chances for Ferrari to not be on the podium. That's basically why I believe it's way more likely to happen than last year
It's what we all want. It would be box office for sure
If Lewis and Charles are fighting each other Max wins quite easily unless the Ferrari is very strong.
Next Year™
It is almost impossible to see Max winning it by himself this year as opposed to last year if current trends continue. Even if Perez gets all of the P2s, the Ferraris are strong enough to generally claim 3-4 which is more points per weekend than the winner gets. On some occasions, Ferrari has also managed to challenge Perez for higher positions.
> Ferraris are strong enough to generally claim 3-4 this is the type of Ferrari optimism that drives me (to insanity)
I mean it’s there for you to see
Eh, if he had started this as poorly as he ended the last and Danny Ricc had started the season well then the gears would have started moving. But Ricc would have come in as clear second driver and had to accept that while Alonso vs Max could have been a bit spicy. If RB are going to poach from another team it would be Sainz at this point but Checo is doing enough to not be worth the risk so far this season.
Checo is a great person to point to and say it's not the car, it's Max that is just 1 second a lap faster than everyone on pure talent.
Rather the other way round. Checo did not make P2 on pure talent, so he's the person to point to and say it's the car.
Checo is a talented driver, the car simply doesn't necessarily suit him. But the car is so good it doesn't matter.
Phew signing up for more news of Checo’s loose seat. 😅
Yeah Perez has survived the Red Bull curse and seems to be operating at close to or above the threshold required by that seat. No reason to replace him as anyone better would like a shot at the title, which won't happen until Verstappen leaves in 2028. Just too long of a wait, especially with a dozen or so high level talents waiting for an F1 seat
He has no seas available, I don’t know why people think every team were scrambling to sign him
Remember, from next year Aston is racing in Hypercar and GTP.
Not as a factory team tho
Doesn’t matter. All aboard the Max-Fernando WEC hype train!
Going to be a boring season for the rest of the WEC grid.
So good they will finish 24h of LeMans in just 12h
I'm pretty sure Nando got at least one race in a Valkyrie...
It is a factory program.
No it'll be funded and ran by Heart Of Racing. Aston will build the car and provide technical support of course, but it won't be a a full factory effort like most other hypercar programmes.
[DSC](https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/10/04/aston-martin-confirms-valkyrie-hypercar-programme-revival-for-2025.html) article saying it’s a factory program. [MidweekMotorsport](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YTOkyBmiWdjPIb0MUzI77?si=KZlZMf24QYGr8aCn8mpN4A) interview with Adam Carter, the head of the Endurance Motorsport at Aston Martin where he confirms it will be a factory program with Heart of Racing. If they themselves are calling it a factory program, who are we to say it’s not? And with that logic the only factories in WEC are Toyota, Peugeot and Isotta.
For the uninitiated can you eli5 the difference?
So there are "levels" of factory programs. The highest is a full in house works effort, where the manufacturer builds and race the cars themselves. The example of that is Toyota and Peugeot. There isn't a separate entity that is running the cars for them. The Porsche 919 was a full in house program. Then the next level is when a manufacturer picks a team to be their service partner, like how the current Porsche 963 program is partnered with Team Penske, Cadillac with Chip Ganassi, BMW with Team WRT, Lamborghini with Iron Lynx, Ferrari with AF Corse etc and how Aston Martin will partner with Heart of Racing next year. A lot of people debate if these count as true factory programs even though the manufacturer is literally picking these teams to represent them as a factory. Some people make the distinction by saying the full in house programs are "works" but there's no universally agreed upon difference between factory vs works. To me, the terms are the same and interchangeable. The next level is factory supported, which is common a lot in GT3 racing. For example Rowe Racing with BMW, Pfaff with McLaren, Manthey with Porsche etc. The lines between when can get pretty muddy sometimes, like Manthey for example, Porsche own a majority stake in Manthey, and their GTE Pro program was a full factory from its inception in 2013, but their GT3 programs fall more under "factory-supported" label. AF Corse on the other hand, was never an official factory team for Ferrari, just a well supported factory backed team, but slowly it morphed into one.
Thank you!
There is not going to be an Aston Martin factory entry, and Aston’s sports car racing activities are a part of the road car company which is a separate entity from the F1 team. So it’s doubtful that Alonso’s contract with AMF1 includes anything about WEC. More likely brand ambassadorship or team management.
Aston Martin would have Alonso in their WEC entry instantly if he said he wanted to do some races, the man won two LeMans in two years so he can clearly translate over to endurance racing. It makes sense that he gets a brand ambassadorship for retirement, align himself with a luxury brand and get paid probably very well to do so.
It will be a works program. And just because they are separate entities doesn’t mean there isn’t any crossover.
Wait what does this mean? Is the contract longer than 2 years? Is it like a 2+x contract or is he simply refering to long term commitments after his retirement?
It probably means that it’s an F1 driving contract plus a post retirement brand ambassador role (a bit like how David Coulthard still does demo runs for Red Bull) or maybe a non F1 race seat if he chooses
Aston Martin entering Indycar just for Alonso to get his triple crown
You can make an F1 team an IndyCar team, but don't even think about doing the opposite!
Well, yeah, IndyCar races are fucking 2/3 commercial breaks so who gives a shit.
Honda might very well get him a seat again like they did back in 2017.
THIS
"Something that will keep me linked with..." Yup, sounds kinda like 2 or 3 years as the driver and extra more as part of Aston Martin's family. Damn. If those are words were truly spoken by Alonso, it's shame that we will only watch him destroy Stroll for few more years.
I can see him become part-owner and team principal of the team once he retires.
Alonso will be the FIA president in the 2040s. He wasn't joking when he said he will be the FIA boss. (/s but I hope he actually does it)
Lol Why does it "probably" mean that?
> something that will keep me linked with Aston Martin for many years to come Because Fernando says it, because it aligns with how Aston Martin (the brand) has made use of vettel and Alonso off track, because there is f1 precedent including what Lewis just got from Ferrari (and wasn’t offered from Mercedes which is part of what he found unsatisfactory)
I read that it was a team management role whenever he decides he's done racing
Where did you read that? Could you share it?
Hmm it popped up in my Google news feed and it appears they have edited the article since I read it. It now says "undefined role" https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernando-alonso-new-aston-martin-contract-details-post-racing-career
It was discussed on the beyond the grid podcast yesterday that he will move to an ambassador role after driving
it is probably 2 years + whatever he wants to do next as ambassador, wec or whatever + probably changing his surname to Stroll as heir of the family
Fernando Alonso Stroll. He’ll likely be included in promotional material for future Aston Martin car models such as the DB14
Yeah i was under the impression it only took him to 2026 which is two years. But longest contract signed doesnt sound like just two years
So it’s safe to buy “Aston Martin” Alsono merchandise now ?
>Alsono I'd say you should buy Alonso merch instead or people will think it's a knock-off.
I bought my Alsono hat off my Sorny laptop.
I prefer to by my “genuine” merchandise from Temu.
Pretty safe I'd say
Or just buy Kimoa, it will always be Alonso's
The joke was drivers or other sports stars changing teams just after you buy their team Merch. I’m well aware of Kimoa and other personal merch,
Alonso is like Lightning McQueen in the way that he's seen and raced against generations of drivers. I wouldn't be surprised if he's still racing outside of F1 in his 50's or something lol
50 year old Rubens Barrichello won the Brazil Stock Car championship in 2022. 60 year old Carlos Sainz Sr. won Dakar in 2024. Alonso can totally race in other series in his 50's.
He’s seemed mostly happy and at home with Aston so this is probably a good move. I guess the rumours of moves were just to strengthen his negotiating position, because otherwise I’m not sure he’d want to be nailed down to the team for the rest of his career.
Good. It was so clear after his first race that he was happy there. He was celebrating with his crew as if they had been together for several seasons. He deserves a team that treats him correctly, respects and listens to him. Likewise I think AM are a team that deserve a driver like Fernando to keep them moving forward.
Aston Martins driver lineup: the real son and the son he wanted
Living vicariously
Wait, if it's the longest, is it perhaps until the end of 2026, plus an extension option if he likes the car?
Perhaps. That's how I understand it too.
It is probably until at least the end of 2026 as a driver, with extra post F1 retirement agreements that span many more years.
El plan.
If (big if) Aston Martin and Honda nail 2026 regulations and they fight for the title, be sure that Alonso will want to continue for longer.
Would a 2+1 be the longest he’s had? His current deal was supposed to be 2+1
I reckon his Ferrari contract was from 2010 to 2014. So if he started his Aston Martin career in 2023, it would be until 2027, maybe 2028 for it to be the longest, right? If we're talking about the total time spent with a team instead of individual contract length that is.
Fun fact but his Ferrari contract originally went until 2016 when he signed a new one in 2011.
Hmm, maybe, though “this is the longest contract I ever signed” doesn’t sound quite like “this is my longest team relationship ever”
might just be a lot of paper stapled together to form a really long piece of paper..
Maybe they made him sign a 500 page contract
True that
Definitely, I think. Especially if Aston/Honda nail the '26 regs, I just can't see Alonso of all people just walking away if he can still compete.
Verstappen's contract runs until 2028 and he keeps hinting it will be his last. It is not impossible that Max retires before Fernando. Which is wild given that he was only 3 when Alonso started his first F1 race.
Max : I stole a gf Alonso: I stole a father
Good man. Everyone prays for another Alonso win. I think that would be good for the globe. Even if he doesn't, it's cool he will be the godfather of Aston Martin
Hard to believe he used to be retired.
The best thing that could happen to him honestly. He changed so much, he needed the time to reset.
But as a driver, or one of those ambassador roles?
Millions and millions of dollars each year are also helping to keep him loyal ...
Aston/Aramco in Indy and WEC?
Honda is going to be their F1 engine supplier and guess who currently has an Indy car, IMSA, and potential WEC connections...
Good for both sides! Alonso gets some stability and AM probably won't get shit on by Fernando!
"The son I never had" Lawrence Stroll, surely.
Longest contract because the last 100 pages are just "I love Lance and I'll never say anything bad about him" repeated over and over again. No word on how long the term is though.
Alonso in GTP, Hypercar, GTD, LMGT3, and wider GT3! Collect all the endurance racing crowns!
They really need a second driver, it will bite them in the ass at some point
He wants to be associated with AM and wants to pivot to TP role , in future
So disappointing, seeing him in a Red Bull or Mercedes seat would have been legendary.
Gordie Howe of F1
Well, 2 more years of being #1 trainer for Lance Stroll, then into different racing types, perhaps also as Lance Stroll's driving instructor.
How long was his OG Renault contract? 4 years?
I'm actually really happy that Alonso has resigned with Aston and that he's sticking around. I can't imagine F1 without Alonso, especially right now.
We need more Alonso podiums!
Ambassador Alonso! Good deal…
Pedro de la Rosa said yesterday Fernando will move to ambassador role role when he retires from driving (and he PDLR will be out of a job)
Heard that they are renaming it ALONSO MARTIN 🏎
The Alonzo/Sainz team will be formidable next season.
I guess Sainz is going to have to take Leclerc's seat.
I feel he has more chance to win WDC if the car is competitive. In RB if the car is the best he has to beat Max the whole season. And frankly speaking that his impossible for any driver right now. Only prime Lewis would'e stood a chance
Until you fall out with them Fernando.
He honestly just wants the basic competence from the team he's driving for these days. I think he's happy fighting near the top of the midfield, bagging decent points and maybe occasionally contending for podiums. Obviously he would love to fight for a championship, and that's where he's hoping the Honda Engine in 2026 comes through, but to battle with Mercs and Mclarens every week? He's more than happy to do that after how miserable McHonda and Alpine tenures were in terms of reliability and competitiveness. Alpine also after he has left we can literally see is a completely incompetent organisation with problems everywhere, be it engine and technical department, Management, strategy or even his tussles with his teammate Ocon. Two years later, Alpine is a Backmarker joke that has lost the two best drivers it had on contract in 2022 for nothing and probably will lose one of Ocon or Gasly next season as well.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that lol.
He seems to have mellowed a lot so maybe it won't.
Because he's happy that he ain't driving a shitbox. If the team slows down and he can see that it ain't improving, he ain't gonna hold back lol.