Is Fernando Alonso still quick enough for Formula 1 or should he retire ASAP?

The two time Formula 1 World Champion has spent much of 2026 fighting at the back of the field in Aston Martin's disappointing AMR26, a car that has proved both slow and unreliable despite arriving in the first season of the team's highly anticipated Honda partnership.

Seven rounds into the season, Aston Martin sit 10th in the Constructors' Championship with just one point, scored by 44-year-old Alonso, while teammate Lance Stroll is yet to sniff the scoreboard.

The difficult start has been particularly painful given the huge expectations surrounding Aston Martin after Adrian Newey's arrival. Instead of challenging the front, the Silverstone based team has slipped towards the back of the grid, leaving Alonso unable to demonstrate the pace many still believe he possesses.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack made clear the team wants Alonso to remain beyond the expiry of his current contract: "Fernando decided that around the summer break he will take a decision, and we're happy with the drivers. Fernando should not retire. He is too quick."

Alonso has repeatedly been linked with a sensational return to Alpine, where he won both of his World Championships under Flavio Briatore, while speculation has also surrounded a possible retirement from Formula 1.

However, the Spaniard insisted no decision has yet been made: "I have not taken any decision, I will wait until probably summer break, which is August, and after summer it's Zandvoort, Monza. I think around that time I will probably decide what to do next year."

Despite Aston Martin's struggles, Alonso insisted his motivation remains as strong as ever: "I will keep racing because I'm feeling fast, I feel motivated, and I love what I do, and I will not stop now, because I don't feel uncompetitive or I don't feel that I don't enjoy racing."

That statement echoes Alonso's attitude throughout a frustrating season in which he has continued extracting performances beyond the apparent capability of the AMR26, even as reliability problems and lack of outright pace have limited the team's opportunities.

While Alonso admitted his future remains open, he also stressed that continuing to race does not necessarily mean remaining in Formula 1.

"I still love Formula 1. I'm committed to this team also, so even if I don't race, commitment with the team and with the project is the same and still the same as what it has been for years now," he said.

Those comments leave every option on the table heading into the summer break. Alonso could extend his Formula 1 career with Aston Martin, explore another opportunity elsewhere on the grid, or focus on the wider Aston Martin project away from racing.

For now, Aston Martin remain convinced they still have one of Formula 1's quickest drivers. The challenge is giving him a car worthy of that reputation. So he can add to his 33 victories in the top flight, and finally celebrate a top step of the podium finish for the first time since 2013.

After months of disappointment, all eyes will be on whether the team's development programme can finally begin delivering progress during the second half of the season. If not, Alonso's decision could become one of the biggest stories of the 2026 Formula 1 driver market.
(Reporting by Agnes Carlier in Austria)