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Aston Martin believed Fernando Alonso would end his F1 career with them, yet Alpine may now welcome the two-time champion back in 2027 amid his frustrations in 2026.
Alonso stunned Alpine back in the summer of 2022 when he abandoned the Enstone natives to replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin. But the woes that the Spaniard has had with the AMR26, upon which so much hope was built, have now left the exit doors in Silverstone ajar.
Lawrence Stroll invested a fortune to build what he hoped would be a title-contending team around Alonso at Aston Martin, including hiring design legend Adrian Newey and securing a factory Honda engine deal. His millions cannot buy Aston Martin out of their hole, however.
After the first seven rounds of the 2026 F1 regulations era that Aston Martin thought would take them to the front, Alonso has their sole point after inheriting P10 in Monaco. Now, the talk of the town is a potential return to Alpine, for what would be his fourth stint in Enstone.
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Fernando Alonso is anything but calm behind closed doors at Aston Martin
It emerged at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix that Alonso returning to Alpine for 2027 is gaining traction in the paddock, with the 44-year-old out of contract for Aston Martin. He is not their only target, mind, with Alpine interested in George Russell and Alex Albon, as well.
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Alpine sniffing around for Alonso’s services has caught Aston Martin by surprise, as they had expected to see the Spaniard retire in their colours. That is according to Christian Menath of Motorsport-Magazin, who adds that all might not be as it seems for Alonso at Aston Martin.
While Alonso is at least publicly staying relatively calm about Aston Martin’s problems so far this season, he is understood to be ‘really boiling over behind the scenes’ in Silverstone. The 32-time Grand Prix winner is ‘anything but calm’ at the factory, and it may now see him walk.
Alonso does not intend to throw Aston Martin under the bus in public and will only state the obvious about the deficiencies of their car. But Alonso’s private frustrations might see Alpine give him an escape route, given that executive adviser Flavio Briatore still remains his agent.
The idea of Alonso leaving was never on Aston Martin’s radar before the true reality of their struggles emerged. While his contract to race for the team in F1 is due to expire this season, Aston Martin truly believed that Alonso would stay and take up a broader role after retiring.
Fernando Alonso will decide his F1 future after the summer 2026 break
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There are now four theories going around the F1 paddock concerning Alonso’s future, amid Alpine considering taking the Aston Martin ace back to Enstone where he won his two titles in 2005 and 2006 with Renault. Alonso had a second stint at Renault during 2008 and 2009.
According to SPORT, there are now some in the paddock who firmly believe the ‘deep crisis’ that engulfs Aston Martin could see him simply decide to retire from F1 and walk away. It is not impossible, as Alonso still dreams of racing elsewhere like Le Mans and the Dakar Rally.
Some paddock figures also do not rule out what many had expected would be a certainty if the Spaniard decided to stay, and that is Alonso could sign a new contract for Aston Martin. Yet the ‘hottest’ rumour that seems ‘less far-fetched by the day’ is Alonso re-joining Alpine.
Another option has also materialised in recent days, with reports that McLaren could offer Alonso a seat for 2027 if Oscar Piastri were to replace Max Verstappen at Red Bull. For now, any interested team must wait, as Alonso aims to decide his future after the summer break.
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