Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack says that there is “no reason” why Fernando Alonso won’t remain with the squad in 2026.
Alonso will turn 42 this summer and is F1’s oldest current driver, but has been performing at a high level in the opening rounds of the 2023 campaign.
The Spaniard has scored four podiums in the first five races and currently sits third in the Drivers’ Championship.
Question marks have been raised over how much longer Alonso will continue in F1 on account of his age, as he will be 44 years old at the start of the sport’s new era under fresh technical regulations in 2026.
But Krack is confident that Alonso will still be capable of handling F1 machinery in three years’ time.
“I think there’s no reason to think he should not be with us in the car in 2026,” he said. “I mean I cannot see one single reason why he would not be.”
Aston Martin’s 2026 season will see the commencement of a new partnership with Honda, a deal that was announced on Wednesday.
Honda will return to F1 as a Power Unit supplier, five years after it opted to depart the sport following a successful stint with Red Bull.
READ MORE: Can Honda be Aston Martin’s ‘final piece of the jigsaw’?
As it ends its long-standing customer relationship with Mercedes, Aston Martin will transition into a ‘works team’ as it strives to take further steps towards the front of the field.
“I think one of the main things that you have if you look at the 2026 PU regulations and the chassis regulations that will be derived from them, there have been some workshops and working groups already since February last year,” Krack said.
“It shows you have to be fully integrated, or more and more integrated, with your PU, to design the right chassis for your regulations.
“This is something that if you have a works deal, or works agreement, that you are just more open.
“You can have much more info earlier with regards to energy management, which aero configuration you have to run, to set correct targets, and this is just a big asset or big advantage for these new kinds of regulations.”
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