Double World Champion Fernando Alonso is “definitely” planning on using the third additional year in his Aston Martin contract, with the 41-year-old having opened up on his future in Formula 1.
The former Alpine driver is supposedly feeling “fresher” now, then he did when he left the sport at the end of 2018, following a miserable spell with McLaren thanks to a dreadful power unit from Honda.
In his two-year stint away from F1, the Spaniard competed in the World Endurance Championship, and the Indy 500, with him having then returned to F1 hungry for success once again.
Alonso is living proof that a driver can leave F1 and return at a high level, with the Spanish driver having produced better results since returning to the sport than he was when he departed it.
READ: Helmut Marko reveals bizarre tradition about RB-19 development
With him still feeling “100 percent” he’s eager to see out the entirety of his Aston Martin contract, something which will see him reach 400 Grand Prix starts with ease.
Alonso surpassed Kimi Raikkonen’s record for the most starts during 2022, with the veteran now set to achieve his personal goal of exceeding 400 GPs.
“For sure it’s a nice achievement and one I will maybe look back on and be happy about,” he said on eclipsing Raikkonen, “but whilst I am still racing, I don’t stop to think about it and I want to enjoy and maximise each race weekend.
“I’m happy to be in Formula 1 for so many years, and with the two more coming, or whatever, I will reach 400 for sure, so that’s a big number. It shows my passion for the sport and my discipline to perform at a high level.
“If you are not performing, the team will not give you 400 Grands Prix, for sure.”
All great stories do eventually come to an end, though, with Alonso being aware that he can’t continue in F1 forever.
He knows that his F1 career does have an “expiry date”; however, he is yet to figure out exactly when that might be.
“I don’t have it figured out. The sport is my life and I know I have an expiry date, but I try to enjoy it,” he told Spain’s AS.
“When I left Formula 1 in 2018 I was mentally and physically exhausted. Since I came back, I don’t feel like that – I’m fresher.
“I don’t know how long I will go on. I will never retire from motorsport, but from Formula 1 I will retire when it stops making me happy. At the moment, it’s the opposite.
READ: ‘I would rather not race again’: Lewis Hamilton makes big claim about controversial gesture
“As long as I still feel I can give 100 percent, so definitely another two or three years,” he added to Auto Motor und Sport.
“At my age, I have to approach many things differently. The training, the travelling, the events in between.
“Formula 1 takes up more and more of your time. You have to organise yourself well so you don’t get burned out.”