Fernando Alonso says he will "feel" when the time comes to retire

Alonso joined F1 back in 2001 with Minardi, and after one season as a Renault test driver, he joined the team in 2003 and went on to win the 2005 and 2006 titles, dethroning the great Michael Schumacher at the time.

Since then, the Spaniard has driven for Ferrari and McLaren, and after a hiatus in 2019 and 2020, he returned with Alpine and then switched to Aston Martin in 2023, replacing Sebastian Vettel.

While he has not won a race since 2013 when he won the Spanish Grand Prix in a Ferrari, Alonso has shown time and time again that age is just a number with some impressive performances in subpar F1 machinery.

Alonso's contract with Aston Martin will be over at the end of the 2026 F1 season, which has been a nightmare for the team, as their highly anticipated, Adrian Newey-designed AMR26 turned out to be a disaster on all fronts, its Honda power unit and chassis with the team unable to finish races due to severe vibrations threatening the well-being of Alonso and his teammate Lance Stroll.

Speaking at the 2026 Monaco Historic Grand Prix, with the event's official TV channel, Alonso discussed his future. He said: "I love what I do. I love racing.

"I did my first race when I was three years [old], and I am 44, so 41 years of my life I have been behind a steering wheel. So the moment I have to stop racing, it will be a very hard decision and difficult to accept.

"The time will tell. I will feel it," Alonso, who has become a father recently, claimed. "At the moment, I don't feel it is that time yet.

"I feel competitive, I feel motivated, I feel happy when I drive. So, yeah, hopefully not the last season," he concluded.