Honda has agreed that Fernando Alonso will remain at Aston Martin

Despite past tensions, Honda has given Aston Martin the green light to extend Fernando Alonso’s contract and he admitted he is still a top driver.

Should we believe Pedro de la Rosa when he says that Fernando Alonso had no intention of leaving Aston Martin? That he just wanted to take time to make sure he still had a flame? That he wanted to continue in F1 beyond 2024?

The former F1 driver, who is now an Aston Martin ambassador (since 2022), knows Alonso very well. Beyond their common nationality, they’ve been with each other since the McLaren era when the Spaniard sat awkwardly there in 2007. They then worked together at Ferrari and now at Aston Martin.

De la Rosa says that from the moment Alonso made his decision to continue his career in F1, there were talks about extending his contract. easy and fast.

Pedro de la Rosa in the Aston Martin garage

Photo : Aston Martin F1

Nothing is quick and easy in F1, especially not when it comes to Fernando Alonso, who at the age of 42 has mastered the art of behind-the-scenes negotiations.

Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Ferrari in 2025, announced in February, launched the transfer season very early (the season of ignorance) Who will replace him at Mercedes-Benz? Where will Carlos Sainz Jr. go, sacrificed by the boss of the Italian team, Frédéric Vasseur, to make room for Hamilton?

Alonso wanted to see if the Aston Martin AMR24 gave him a good feeling. The aerodynamic improvements that were seen at Suzuka go in this direction. He qualified 5th on the grid, finished 6th. The Spaniard is smart enough to realize that he will not be fighting for a place on the podium this season, unless it is necessary. But he is at the top of the grid and getting points. It suits him.

He quickly realized that with the W15, Mercedes-Benz was continuing to decline. Since the end of 2021, nothing has gone right for the German team. Alonso has dismissed the idea of settling on Hamilton’s seat in 2025. Team boss Toto Wolff, however, needs to revive the team. Age of Carlos Sainz Jr. (29) you will allow him to invest for a long time if he is given the wheel.

Red Bull didn’t want it

Alonso would probably take advantage of Red Bull’s turmoil to get a place in the world champion’s team, but the current climate is not favorable.

There are allegations of wrongdoing targeting Christian Horner and a power struggle between the Thais and the Austrians (who own shares in the company) that is affecting the airspace.

It was said that Max Verstappen considered putting his steering wheel on the line due to his affinity with the Austrian clan. Alonso never believed.

Christian Horner, Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko in the Red Bull garage

Image: Getty Images / Mark Thompson

In any case, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner have said no to his candidacy. The Dutch pilot was afraid of losing his freedom of action and his privileged position while the British leader, embroiled in a backstage quarrel, did not want to find himself in a new internal tension.

Especially since Sergio Pérez plays his role of support in the team very well, as Valtteri Bottas did well then at Mercedes-Benz, as he also plays more intelligently than Lance Stroll at Aston Martin. His performance often puts him far behind his teammate in the race.

A classic page-turning project

In the end, Alonso had to rebuild bridges with Honda, which will be Aston Martin’s engine manufacturer in 2026.

The Japanese giant has never forgotten the Spaniard’s famous radio message during the 2015 Japan Grand Prix: GP2 engine! GP2!

Aboard his Honda-powered McLaren, Alonso was furious at being overtaken by Toro Rosso and publicly embarrassed the Japanese engine manufacturer at home.

Fernando Alonso, in McLaren, is overtaken by Toro Rosso during the 2015 Japan Grand Prix.

Image : First Formula

Today, Alonso notes that Honda has the best engine on board, and that in 2026, as part of the single-seater generation, with new biofuels and new hybrid engines, Honda will have the best engine.

Honda dominates the sport, he told Britain’s Sky network at Suzuka. Their engine is very good with Red Bull and RB. In 2026, with the new criteria, Honda will have all the tools to win.

Beyond the progress made by Honda since 2015 and the incredible performances on the track, the engine manufacturer Honda and Fernando Alonso had to make peace.

They did, as Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) confirmed motorsport.com:

From 2015 to 2017, the situation was very difficult for Honda, and our relationship was strained. But we overcame this confusion, says Mr. Watanabe. Aston Martin asked us if it was a problem to extend Alonso’s contract. Honda has not made any request on this topic. We discussed what kind of staff we need.

We agreed with Aston Martin that Alonso was a top driver. It is due to that situation that the team decided to extend his contract.

Quote from Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)

I hope we can win together, and aim for the championshipthe prÃ©cisÃ© M. Watanabe.

Koji Watanabe (left) and Christian Horner, partners at Red Bull

Image: Getty Images / Mark Thompson

This major case was settled, Fernando Alonso accepted Lawrence Stroll’s offer.

But the Canadian businessman clearly understood in the words of the HRC Honda manager’s desire to fight for victory, and also for the title. In this context, he told Honda that the second wheel would go whatever happens to his son? Honda will probably want to force a Japanese driver.

The new contract that Alonso signed allows Lance Stroll time to think about his future. He will be the Spaniard’s teammate in 2025, unless his 2024 season is so difficult that the team decides to keep Felipe Drugovich in the car.

The Brazilian, a former F2 championship winner, is winning less in his role as reserve driver.

Felipe Drugovich in the Aston Martin garage

Photo: Getty Images / Alex Pantling

So far, he has not had a chance to drive in qualifying and races. Even with both arms broken just before the start of the 2023 season, the Quebecer chose to keep his helm in Bahrain, a gesture of courage as much as it was intelligence. He knew that Drugovich could undermine his starting position and prove the same critics.

Is Lance considering ditching his suit for a position at the company his father runs, as is one of the many rumors swirling around the paddock?

Drugovich preferred to stay at Aston Martin in 2024 as a reserve driver and test driver (instead of racing in FE or IndyCar), because he is confident that his turn will come.

If Lance Stroll remains the starter in 2025 and Honda forces its driver in 2026, the Brazilian will have time to eat through his entire tract …

In any case, Drugovich is ready. It has accumulated more than 6,000 km in 2023 in tests only.

We keep him in qualifying condition, race distance, and he is ready to replace our starters if necessarysaid Tom McCullogh, the team’s performance manager.

He is also the best simulator pilotnotes the British engineer.

On two sides, three times

The teams are currently working on simulations on two fronts: the current season and that of 2026 with the new criteria set by the FIA. And from summer, they will work on the 2025 chassis.

Fernando Alonso tests a team simulator intended for sale.

Image: Aston Martin

The Aston Martin replica seems to be having difficulty connecting lâ€™m pleased with Alonsowho will take a few tenths once on the track by driving his car and his will alone.

Pedro de la Rosa jokingly told DAZN at Suzuka that the team already had it waste several computers responsible for using the settings scanned in the simulator on the track.

Regarding the simulation results and the new parameters for the 2026 season, it is far from conclusive, and not only for Aston Martin.

The criteria set by the FIA (smaller, lighter, harder-to-drive cars) make the driving so smooth that the special one-man seats often go off the track.

Of course this is a work in progress at this stage, but this advanced work is important, because Aston Martin will have to provide Honda and Fernando Alonso with a good chassis in 2026.

Fernando Alonso at the end of the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix

Photo: Getty Images / Dan Mullan

As Alonso noted, the project is very interesting with the new Silverstone factory opening this season, the wind tunnel will be operational by the end of the year in partnership with Honda.

A one-year contract (2025) was of no interest to me, the Spaniard told Sky. What interests me in this project is everything that is put in place.

Aston Martin has placed almost all of its pawns for the 2026 season. That leaves a place for Lance Stroll on the chessboard.

Felipe Drugovich would be a logical candidate to support Alonso in 2026, should the Quebec driver leave his starting wheel, during the first season of the new single-seater generation. But the Honda engine manufacturer will have its opinion.

The 2026 season will be a transitional one where all teams will have to monitor the drivers’ new feelings on the track and adjust if necessary. Fernando Alonso made sure to be part of it.

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