Alonso will make F1 future call in “next few weeks”

The Spaniard made it clear on the launch of the Aston Martin AMR24 final month that step one will likely be to determine whether or not or not he needs to hold on past this season, after which he’ll make a name on which crew he drives for.

Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari has left a primary seat open at Mercedes, and the crew is targeted on readying its F2 protege Kimi Antonelli, with a testing programme in 2021 and 2022 F1 vehicles starting after he turns 18 in August.

If Antonelli is deemed to wish extra time, one situation may see Mercedes supply Alonso a one-year deal for 2025 pending the probably arrival of the Italian teen in 2026, assuming that George Russell stays within the different automobile.

Max Verstappen has additionally emerged as a shock candidate for the Brackley crew, ought to he decide to depart Pink Bull earlier than the tip of his present contract in 2028. Nonetheless, clearly the world champion would solely decide to a long-term association.

Alonso concedes that he’s on Toto Wolff’s listing of potential candidates for a Mercedes drive.

“Yeah, as a result of clearly I haven’t got any contract in the meanwhile,” he mentioned. “So it is higher to be on these lists than on the opposite collection listing, or being on the retirement listing!

“However I’ll make the choice to commit for the long run within the subsequent few weeks, or few races. Initially, I would like to talk with myself, I have to decide. If I personally wish to commit for the long run.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Picture by: Shameem Fahath

“Clearly, I have to sacrifice every thing else in life to be 100% prepared for F1. That would be the resolution.”

Requested by Motorsport.com if he could be prepared to simply accept a one-year deal, Alonso was non-committal.

“I do not know,” he mentioned. “Initially, I have to see if I wish to preserve racing. As I’ve mentioned I will likely be egoist if I am simply pondering of renewing a contract and simply being an F1 driver, and journey all over the world, really feel cool.

“However I am not that kind of particular person, if I commit it is as a result of I really imagine that there’s a chance of profitable races. I wish to be within the simulator, I wish to be with the engineers, I wish to ask 100% to an organisation that I do know for positive that I’ll give that 100%.

“If not, I cannot commit. I do not know for the way lengthy and I do not know with whom. So there are numerous query marks. However it is a second stage. First stage of the long run it must be with my very own private resolution.”