Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has recently been rumored to be moving to Mercedes, as they will bid goodbye to Lewis Hamilton after this season.
At 42 years old, Fernando Alonso continues to be one of the standout drivers in Formula 1. In the Japanese Grand Prix, which took place in the early hours of this Sunday, the Spanish driver took Aston Martin to sixth place.
Although he was considered for Red Bull Racing and Mercedes for the 2025 season, and with his future in the category still uncertain, the veteran ruled out the possibility of taking Lewis Hamilton’s spot, after being overtaken by the Englishman at the Suzuka Circuit.
Alonso had already secured a favorable position on the grid, starting in fifth place. During the race, the two-time champion opted for a different strategy from the other drivers, keeping the soft tires despite the intense heat at the Suzuka Circuit. Despite losing a position on the track, the Spanish driver celebrated sixth place in the Japanese Grand Prix.
“I had a lot of fun and had one of my best weekends in terms of driving, I’m 44 seconds behind the leader. Mercedes is behind us, so it doesn’t seem so attractive to me,” Alonso confirmed to Sky Sports.
Alonso’s strategy in the Japanese Grand Prix was to bet on the faster tires to overtake cars that were using slower compounds. In total, he did twelve laps on soft tires and twenty on medium tires to finish the race on hard tires.
In the end, this choice paid off, and the Spaniard’s Aston Martin car finished ahead of both Mercedes cars and Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.
Alonso spoke about the future
The future of Fernando Alonso remains uncertain. At the start of the season, he did not confirm whether he would stay with Aston Martin for 2025, indicating that he would wait for the first few races to think about his future.
After three Grand Prix races, the Spaniard’s name has already been mentioned as a potential driver for both Red Bull Racing and Mercedes.
“First of all, I need to decide if I want to continue racing, and that will be the first thing I need to decide in the coming weeks or the next races. I feel great now but I know it’s a demanding schedule. In 2026 we will have a series of new regulations, too, which might be tempting or not, I don’t know,” he said.
