People in F1 are already talking about Fernando Alonso leaving Aston Martin for rival team

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Fernando Alonso might already be considering his future at Aston Martin off the back of one of the most worrying performances in pre-season testing in some time.

Aston Martin could feasibly qualify on the back row of the grid at the Australian Grand Prix based on how they performed in Bahrain during testing.

Lance Stroll completed the fewest laps of any driver, and Fernando Alonso’s final action on track was breaking down, with reliability proving to be a major issue for Aston Martin.

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Honda have come in for a lot of criticism as their new power unit looks far less powerful than the other engines on the grid and has struggled to complete anywhere near the same distances as the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and Audi.

Alonso is desperately searching for his 33rd Grand Prix win and third championship victory, and already, people in the F1 paddock are starting to question how long he might spend with Aston Martin.

While Alonso could end up retiring at the end of the season, there’s a familiar destination that stands out as a potential option for the 44-year-old.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

People in the F1 paddock are talking about Fernando Alonso potentially rejoining Alpine from Aston Martin

Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm was on the ground in Bahrain, and speaking to The Race F1 Podcast about Alonso, he explained: “The one thing I was wondering was what chance of another Alonso-Enstone reunion and Flavio Briatore giving his old mate a call, because I’m not suggesting he’ll take a specific Alpine seat entirely.

“Who knows what they’ll end up doing with either driver, or how they’ll get on in 2026?

“But if Alonso’s fed up, if he’s on the market, if he does want to continue because he just can’t quite break himself away, the only real roll of the dice I can see in the short term would be to try and force his way into Alpine, which looks upwardly mobile again.

“It was already in Bahrain, being talked about again in that kind of speculative, could you see this happening?

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“I had at least three or four people asking me in the paddock, what’s he going to do, could he go there, that sort of thing.

“It’s not an active story, so I don’t want it to be interpreted in that way; it just wouldn’t surprise me if people continue to murmur about it through the year.”

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Fernando Alonso and Flavio Briatore’s relationship could save him from Aston Martin

Flavio Briatore is currently still the de facto leader at Alpine, even if Steve Nielsen is technically the team principal.

Although Alonso joining Alpine isn’t a serious suggestion yet, it’s interesting that people are already connecting the dots between the two-time world champion and his long-time manager.

Alonso won both of his titles with Briatore and Alpine when they were called Renault back in 2005 and 2006, and the veteran Italian instigated his return to F1 in 2021 after quitting the sport following McLaren’s awful run with Honda as their power unit supplier.

Aston Martin are confident they can avoid repeating McLaren’s mistakes with Honda, and while Alonso will believe he’s got plenty of time ahead of him to win a third title, teams are going to start to take note of his age.

Pierre Gasly signed a new long-term deal with Alpine last year, meaning Franco Colapinto would be the driver most at risk of being replaced should Briatore want a reunion with Alonso.

Colapinto only needs to ask the likes of Johnny Herbert, Martin Brundle and Jenson Button how cutthroat Briatore can be in the driver market when he spots an opportunity.

It’s too soon yet to suggest that Alonso could be on his way out of Aston Martin, but a slow start to 2026 will give his manager all the encouragement he needs to start working on a deal.