Fernando Alonso retirement rumours addressed after disappointing Mexico GP

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Journalist Craig Slater has addressed claims that Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso could retire at the end of the season.

Slater was talking about the rumours on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast after he had a weekend to forget in Mexico.

You know things aren’t going well for Fernando Alonso when he can’t even make it into the final session of qualifying.

He had to settle for 13^th on the grid and he was looking over his shoulder rather than trying to break into the points on Sunday.

Teammate Lance Stroll overtook him before the red flag which shows how much he was struggling given the Canadian started from the pit lane.

He had picked up some damage but, in the end, had to retire, although even if his car was working at maximum capacity it’s unlikely he’d have finished in the points.

Alonso is not a driver who is happy to settle for mediocrity and the Aston Martin driver might even consider retirement if things don’t improve in the long term.

However, his competitive streak means that it would be a huge surprise if he wasn’t up for the challenge in 2024.

He will demand his team produces a better car for next season though and nails its development as the year goes on.

Slater addresses Aston Martin star Alonso retirement rumours

Speaking about the 42-year-old’s future, Slater said: “The other question is, is he going to retire Fernando Alonso?

“Is he so pessimistic about Aston [Martin] next year that he might not carry on as far as I understand it the appetite for Aston Martin to continue with Alonso is still pretty strong too.

“Not do I understand it is there any prospect of Lawrence Stroll selling up and quitting there either which has been a popular line of online exploration.

“So, I think most likely he will continue with Aston Martin next year, I think that looks like as far as I can ascertain what’s going to go on there.”

Alonso seems like the kind of driver who will be forced into retirement by Aston Martin one day rather than quit on his own accord.

He’s not won a Formula 1 race in ten years and considering how close he got at the start of this season, he’ll know that there’s potential within the team to deliver a winning car.

There is another option being touted for Alonso and that involves a potential move to Red Bull.

He’d certainly have a much better chance of earning that much-coveted win in a Championship-winning car.