<p>Jeddah: At 43, Fernando Alonso continues to defy age and push the boundaries of endurance in a Formula 1 car and while the two-time world champion doesn't see himself racing at 50, he plans to take it one season at a time once his Aston Martin contract runs out in 2026.</p>.<p>Aston Martin don't have a race-winning car at the moment but their long-term ambition is to win the championship.</p>.<p>With the new regulations kicking in next year, Alonso is confident that genius car designer Adrian Newey will produce a formidable piece of machinery and even if it doesn't happen, he would be happy to walk into the sunset and start a new role at Aston Martin.</p>.<p>Speaking ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Alonso explained the rationale of signing the contract that will see him driving till the end of 2026.</p>.Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan dies of cancer at 76.<p>"Not at 50 (racing), but I don't know. That's why we kept open the possibility as well. I wanted to race this year for sure and next year for sure because of the change of regulations — and I wanted to experience the 2026 rules and Honda coming to the team. Then the surprise that Adrian was joining the team a few months after that,” said Alonso.</p>.<p>"There were things that were appealing last year when we sat together and negotiated the contract. But after 2026, I don't know. I will go season by season. I will see how I feel, how motivated I am. Now I am very motivated, but I cannot guarantee that for three or four years and compromise the team.</p>.<p>"If it's in another position, or I don't feel fast enough, I will be the first one to raise my hand. But my contract is much longer than my racing career, so I will stay with this team for many, many years in a different role. If that means we can win a World Championship even when I’m not behind the wheel, I will still feel very proud of the project." Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is another driver on the grid who is racing in his 40s.</p>.<p>Alonso's two titles with Renault came way back in 2005-06 and since then, his race starts have swelled to a staggering 405. He retired from the sport he loves in 2018 for “bigger challenges” only to make a comeback in 2021.</p>.<p>Alonso doesn’t see a third title on the horizon but he knew what he was getting into at Aston Martin.</p>.<p>"It’s not about right or wrong decisions. You make your choices. When I left Alpine, I thought that I would not fight for a World Championship there. They may do in the future, but not in the short term – and I don’t have a long-term future, I will not race forever.</p>.<p>“So in the period when my racing career is active, I thought Aston Martin was a better place. I did enjoy 2023, being competitive. And I do enjoy now the process that we are in and the building of this team of the future. I sometimes say we are not the team of the present – and that’s what I would like to have, because in the future I don’t know if I will be behind the wheel,” he said.</p>.<p>Rumour mill is working overtime with reigning world champion Max Verstappen enduring a tough start to the season, linking the Dutch driver to Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes in the future.</p>.<p>Alonso says such rumours can only be good for his current team.</p>.<p>"But I see the rumours as very good for the team. As you said before, the world champion is sometimes linked with some other teams and a possible departure from Red Bull. And the teams that are being mentioned are Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Ferrari – as your colleague said. So this shows the project that we are in and the future that this team has." Alonso is yet to score a point this season and is hoping that a high-speed track like Jeddah will result in a much improved performance.</p>.<p>"I would say that the first four Grand Prix, the low-speed corners were probably our weakest part of the track. But there are some concerns as well of bouncing and other stuff that we are facing from time to time.</p>.<p>"So yeah, we are working hard on improving those. And as I said, here there’s super high grip, a lot of high-speed corners, so all in all, should be a better weekend,” Alonso added. </p>
<p>Jeddah: At 43, Fernando Alonso continues to defy age and push the boundaries of endurance in a Formula 1 car and while the two-time world champion doesn't see himself racing at 50, he plans to take it one season at a time once his Aston Martin contract runs out in 2026.</p>.<p>Aston Martin don't have a race-winning car at the moment but their long-term ambition is to win the championship.</p>.<p>With the new regulations kicking in next year, Alonso is confident that genius car designer Adrian Newey will produce a formidable piece of machinery and even if it doesn't happen, he would be happy to walk into the sunset and start a new role at Aston Martin.</p>.<p>Speaking ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Alonso explained the rationale of signing the contract that will see him driving till the end of 2026.</p>.Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan dies of cancer at 76.<p>"Not at 50 (racing), but I don't know. That's why we kept open the possibility as well. I wanted to race this year for sure and next year for sure because of the change of regulations — and I wanted to experience the 2026 rules and Honda coming to the team. Then the surprise that Adrian was joining the team a few months after that,” said Alonso.</p>.<p>"There were things that were appealing last year when we sat together and negotiated the contract. But after 2026, I don't know. I will go season by season. I will see how I feel, how motivated I am. Now I am very motivated, but I cannot guarantee that for three or four years and compromise the team.</p>.<p>"If it's in another position, or I don't feel fast enough, I will be the first one to raise my hand. But my contract is much longer than my racing career, so I will stay with this team for many, many years in a different role. If that means we can win a World Championship even when I’m not behind the wheel, I will still feel very proud of the project." Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is another driver on the grid who is racing in his 40s.</p>.<p>Alonso's two titles with Renault came way back in 2005-06 and since then, his race starts have swelled to a staggering 405. He retired from the sport he loves in 2018 for “bigger challenges” only to make a comeback in 2021.</p>.<p>Alonso doesn’t see a third title on the horizon but he knew what he was getting into at Aston Martin.</p>.<p>"It’s not about right or wrong decisions. You make your choices. When I left Alpine, I thought that I would not fight for a World Championship there. They may do in the future, but not in the short term – and I don’t have a long-term future, I will not race forever.</p>.<p>“So in the period when my racing career is active, I thought Aston Martin was a better place. I did enjoy 2023, being competitive. And I do enjoy now the process that we are in and the building of this team of the future. I sometimes say we are not the team of the present – and that’s what I would like to have, because in the future I don’t know if I will be behind the wheel,” he said.</p>.<p>Rumour mill is working overtime with reigning world champion Max Verstappen enduring a tough start to the season, linking the Dutch driver to Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes in the future.</p>.<p>Alonso says such rumours can only be good for his current team.</p>.<p>"But I see the rumours as very good for the team. As you said before, the world champion is sometimes linked with some other teams and a possible departure from Red Bull. And the teams that are being mentioned are Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Ferrari – as your colleague said. So this shows the project that we are in and the future that this team has." Alonso is yet to score a point this season and is hoping that a high-speed track like Jeddah will result in a much improved performance.</p>.<p>"I would say that the first four Grand Prix, the low-speed corners were probably our weakest part of the track. But there are some concerns as well of bouncing and other stuff that we are facing from time to time.</p>.<p>"So yeah, we are working hard on improving those. And as I said, here there’s super high grip, a lot of high-speed corners, so all in all, should be a better weekend,” Alonso added. </p>