With Fernando Alonso yet to decide his Formula 1 future, Aston Martin hopes to avoid the “dramatic” encore of the Spaniard’s retirement.
Alonso first walked away from the sport at the end of the 2018 season, after enduring a largely uncompetitive stint with McLaren-Honda since 2015.
And though he returned to F1 in 2021, he finds himself at a similar crossroads with Aston Martin this season. But if he decides to call it quits, it would probably be for good.
The 45-year-old is yet to commit to his future with the Silverstone-based team for 2027 and beyond. But Aston Martin Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack is hopeful the team can retain his services with a “good solution” in the pipeline.
“At the end of the day, we have always been clear that the team wants to continue [with him], but we need to respect what Fernando’s thoughts are and the time he wants to take,” Krack told media including Motorsport Week.
“As I’ve said before, we’re confident we can reach a good solution for everybody. Now it’s about waiting. He needs to make up his mind, and then we move on.
“He has made clear that it is not one single thing that he wants to see change. And yeah, I read about these discussions [with Ben Sulayem] as well. The sport needs someone like that.
“We will all be keen to see Fernando continue. What can be done to accommodate, I think, it will be done, and then I hope we can come to a good solution and continue.”
Aston Martin refuse to discuss ‘Plan B’ amid Fernando Alonso uncertainty
Much like on the eve of his first sabbatical, Alonso is gripped by a works Honda power unit that is miles off the pace compared to its rivals.
Despite Aston Martin’s attempts to rework its chassis with a b-spec AMR26, competitiveness on track has been sparse, marred by reliability and driveability issues for the two-time F1 World Champion.
Naturally, Alonso deciding to quit the sport looks like a real possibility. That said, Krack doesn’t want to discuss a ‘Plan B’ even if the “unthinkable” were to happen.
“I will not give you any names [of a potential replacement], and I will also not speak about any plan B,” he added.
“We very much hope that Fernando will continue. He’s very important for our team, very important for Formula 1, and motorsport in general.
“It would be a pity to not have him anymore.
“And because that would be so dramatic, I do not even want to talk about it or think about it.”
Despite the suspense hanging over Alonso’s future, Honda has proclaimed that it wants to see the Spaniard winning races and championships with them in the coming seasons.
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