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Fernando Alonso has been searching for his third Formula 1 title for 20 years, and he could be in a position to achieve it in 2026.
Poor career moves, unreliable machinery and plain bad luck have hampered the Spaniard’s career since winning his two championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006. He came agonisingly close with McLaren in 2007 and Ferrari in 2010 and 2012.
Since returning to the sport in 2021 after a brief retirement, Alonso has spent most of his time in the midfield, battling for points and the odd podium. In 2023, he surged to the front with Aston Martin, but the team have not kept up that performance.
Fernando Alonso hasn’t won a world championship in 20 years. What’s gone wrong at every team he’s driven for since Renault?
But in 2026, that could change as the new regulations present a new challenge for the teams. Damon Hill thinks Aston Martin could surprise people with Adrian Newey and Honda at the helm.
With his technical expertise, Newey has already caught attention with his AMR26. Everyone is wondering if the team can be competitive and if Alonso has it in him to fight for a championship.
Fernando Alonso is the ‘most optimistic’ he has felt going into a season since he left Ferrari
Speaking to Sky Sports at the launch of Aston Martin’s 2026 challenger, it would appear that the 44-year-old is ready for the fight. Asked if he is feeling the ‘most optimistic’ heading into a season since he left Ferrari, he replied: “Yeah, I think so.
“I feel that it’s an important moment in the project of Aston Martin, for sure. We finally have our facilities completed. We have our wind tunnel now designing the car, not a third-party one anymore.
“We have our own gearbox for the first time – that’s a big challenge but in a way it gives you the freedom of designing a key component of the car for the very first time. We have Honda as a partner, so all the pieces now are coming together.
“Our biggest challenge is glueing everything, and timing, especially for me. Coming from seventh in the Constructors’ Championship last year, we need to walk before running and we need to make the steps one at a time.
“We are competitors, we want to win, we want to fight for big things, and I think that requires a little bit of time, but we want to make this as short as possible.”
READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2
What went wrong for Fernando Alonso at Ferrari?
Alonso’s time at Ferrari is one where fans will be left wondering what could have been. The Spaniard lost the championship to Sebastian Vettel in 2010 by four points, and then lost again to the German in 2012 by three points.
Ferrari hit back at fans after Alonso’s loss in 2010, calling some a ‘bunch of idiots’ after the team and the Spaniard were criticised for losing the title. Finishing runner-up again two years later, Alonso has not had a championship-worthy car since.
Prove me wrong: The end of the 2026 F1 season is the perfect time for Fernando Alonso to retire 👋
Alonso knew winning with Ferrari would be ‘impossible’ when he saw their engine for the 2014 regulations. The Maranello outfit were miles off the pace, with the two-time champion leaving the team for McLaren in 2015 – a decision he would regret.
He struggled for four years with poor machinery before stepping away from F1 in 2018 until 2021. Whether Aston Martin can provide him with a competitive car is anyone’s guess, but it could be his last chance, as Alonso will wait until September to decide his future beyond 2026.
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