Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso plans to stay in Formula 1 for 'a few more years'

The 41-year-old recently moved from Alpine to Aston Martin for the 2023 season, signing a "multi-year deal" with the Silverstone-based team.

Alonso, who began his illustrious F1 career in 2001 and won Championship titles in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, currently holds the record for the most Grand Prix appearances in the sport, with 361 races under his belt as of this year's Australian Grand Prix.

Since joining Aston Martin, Alonso has been in impressive form, securing three consecutive third-place finishes and helping his team rise to second place in the Constructors' Championship, just behind the dominant Red Bull team.

Despite initially planning to retire shortly after his second World Championship win in 2006, Alonso remains highly-motivated in his 20th year of F1.

In a recent interview with Bang & Olufsen, Alonso said, "When I started in Formula 1, my idea was to be for seven or eight years. Then I won two Championships [in 2005 and 2006] and I thought I will race maybe one or two more years and then I will stop. That was my idea, and now I find myself with the longest career ever in Formula 1 and I'm still fresh, still motivated, still enjoying every single day. I wake up in the morning and I'm happy with what I'm doing. So there is a few more years, I think, more for me, and hopefully with a title contender in the future."

Alonso's move to Aston Martin has coincided with a remarkable upturn in form for the team, which finished only seventh in the 2022 Constructors' Championship with a best Grand Prix finish of sixth place. While Alonso has acknowledged that he didn't expect Aston Martin to be this competitive so soon, he also cautioned that there is still much work to be done before a title challenge becomes feasible.

"That's the aim for sure," Alonso said when asked about the possibility of winning his third title. "But at the moment, we have to keep our feet on the ground. The aim for the team is just to have a good season. They struggled a lot in 2022, so I think we have to walk before [we can] run.

"This 2023 campaign is just about getting better, getting to know the car better, starting a new project from day one, and that's where we are at the moment. Hopefully, we will have more podiums, hopefully, we fight for race wins. But to fight for the championship, I think we need to set the team a little bit before doing that," Alonso added.

Alonso's determination and focus on the present task at hand, while keeping an eye on the future, highlight his unwavering commitment to the sport. With his wealth of experience and skill, Alonso's presence in Formula 1 is set to continue for "a few more years," defying his own expectations and leaving fans eager to see what he will achieve next in this high-speed world of racing.