Fernando Alonso Is Staying in F1: “He Promised Me Today,” Reveals FIA President
· Yahoo Sports
The Formula 1 paddock at the inaugural 2026 Madrid Grand Prix was completely dominated by one massive question: is 44-year-old Fernando Alonso finally ready to walk away from the sport? After a disastrous qualifying session that saw the two-time World Champion start 17th on the grid, rumors of an imminent retirement skyrocketed.
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However, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has abruptly injected himself into the contract drama, dropping a massive bombshell about the Spaniard’s future.
In a candid moment captured by Spanish broadcaster laSexta, Ben Sulayem was speaking with fans outside his hotel in Madrid when he definitively shut down the retirement rumors, claiming he had just secured a personal commitment from the Aston Martin driver.
“He is going to continue,” Ben Sulayem revealed to the cameras. “He promised me today….. Told me, ‘I’m staying’. And this is good for Spain”.
But if Alonso is indeed staying, it takes a massive leap of faith, because Aston Martin’s 2026 campaign has been an absolute nightmare.
A Failed B-Spec and 3 Miserable Points
To put the misery into perspective, Alonso currently sits 19th in the Drivers’ Championship with a grand total of just three points. After scoring a single point early in the season at Monaco, the team desperately tried to salvage the year by introducing a massive 16-part “B-spec” chassis upgrade at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
Fernando Alonso | Photo Credit: Aston Martin F1 TeamThat was followed by the debut of a highly anticipated new Honda power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. Despite the massive development push, the results were incredibly bleak. The new engine yielded exactly two points with a P9 finish in the Netherlands, and the momentum completely evaporated a week later when Alonso suffered a brutal DNF at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
The hometown race in Madrid didn’t offer any salvation, either. Alonso’s race was immediately compromised when Carlos Sainz made contact on Lap 1, forcing an early pit stop for a new front wing. He ultimately crossed the finish line in a dismal P17.
Alonso: “Driver Input is Just Nothing”
Alonso’s frustrations aren’t just limited to the AMR26’s total lack of pace; he is actively despising the new 2026 Formula 1 technical regulations.
The heavy reliance on electrical deployment has severely diminished the human element of racing. Following his abysmal qualifying run in Madrid, Alonso delivered a scathing review of modern F1 cars.
“It is sad, in a way, with this generation of cars to come to a very nice circuit like this… and the driver input is just nothing,” Alonso lamented (via GPBlog).
He explained that corners that used to require immense bravery are now dictated entirely by software and electrical deployment: “Now it’s just how much [state of charge] I have. I will go faster and slower”.
If Ben Sulayem’s hotel confession is accurate, it appears the 44-year-old champion has decided to endure the pain of the current regulations and pray that the technical team can deliver a miracle before he officially hangs up his helmet.