Fernando Alonso sends shockwaves through Formula 1 upon his arrival at Monza
Ferrari and Kimi Antonelli will be the main focus of Italian fans’ support at the Monza Grand Prix scheduled for next Sunday, but there is another driver who has always captured the keen interest of Italian fans. That driver is Fernando Alonso, who in 2010 secured one of the most memorable victories in recent years for Ferrari fans, but who, both before and after that, has often stood out as a major rival to the Maranello team. But in the meantime, in 2026, he made statements bound to unsettle both supporters and critics. And this has little to do with the widely acknowledged flop of his Aston Martin.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the year, Alonso admitted he hasn’t yet decided whether to extend his tenure at Aston Martin—or his time on Formula 1 tracks in general—into 2027. “My decision isn’t tied to the car I have right now,” the Asturian said, as reported by ‘ESPN’. “As long as I have a contract, I’ll be professional and always drive at 100%. And I’ll do that whether I’m fighting for the podium or forced to aim for 15th place. The real problem is the regulations.”
“This isn’t the Formula 1 we grew up with; unfortunately, that’s the reality,” Alonso explained. It’s not the F1 that we drivers would like, nor is it what the fans and viewers want. We’ll have to change a few things, but it won’t happen right away. Maybe it will be possible in the future. I hope, however, to be able to contribute to bringing back the real F1. Here at Monza, by the way, the race risks being distorted by the new regulations even more than it was at Suzuka and Silverstone. Perhaps it will be even worse only in Las Vegas.” And despite the fact that his Aston Martin has improved—enough to allow him to finish the race at Zandvoort—the Spaniard was categorical about whether that alone would be enough to make him decide to continue his career: “No.”
Aston Martin’s season has been troubled, to say the least. The Silverstone-based team, which entered the 2026 season with much higher ambitions thanks to the technical expertise of Adrian Newey, found itself languishing at the back of the pack for a long time, scoring just one point in the early races (a rather fortuitous tenth-place finish in Monaco, secured by Alonso himself). A turning point was expected at the Hungarian Grand Prix, when the team brought a completely revised chassis to the track, featuring a more powerful power unit and an aerodynamic setup redesigned by Newey himself. Progress was made, as evidenced by the fact that the Asturian champion managed to finish the race at Zandvoort, but it was clearly not enough to change the Spaniard’s assessment of his own situation.
Paradoxically, just as Alonso’s future at Aston Martin appears increasingly uncertain, rumors have been circulating in the paddock about a possible sensational return of the Asturian to Alpine for 2027. It’s an intriguing possibility, one that would bring the Spanish champion back to the team he’s raced for in the past and which, under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, is currently undergoing a resurgence. However, in light of the comments he made at Monza, this prospect seems unlikely to materialize if the driver himself is casting doubt on his continued participation in the series altogether.
Meanwhile, the World Championship standings show Alonso on the sidelines of the battle that really matters: with just 3 points to his name, the Spaniard sits in 19th place, ahead only of his teammate Lance Stroll and the Cadillac drivers stuck at zero points along with Yuki Tsunoda (who, however, has only raced in the Dutch Grand Prix so far). It’s a world away from the top of the standings, where Kimi Antonelli leads with 242 points, followed by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at 183. Indeed, it is the young driver from Bologna who is the star of this Italian Grand Prix, with his Mercedes and the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders—a nation, however, divided between cheering for him and its unwavering support for Ferrari.
