Fernando Alonso, 43, says 2026 could be his best chance to win his third Formula One world title. The Spaniard had a fruitful start to 2023 racing for Aston Martin with a couple of podium finishes but new rules in 2026 and Adrian Neve joining the team will give him the best chance of another title.
“I still dream,” Alonso told BBC Sport. “Why not? I know 2026 is probably my only chance because 2025 is very difficult, but I’m still dreaming. “F1 is for dreamers, maybe, because anything can happen. Let’s see.”
Alonso dreams of a third title, after he has not won a race in the past 11 years, after having British race car designer Neve join Aston Martin. Neve was behind the success of Red Bull Racing, designing the cars that inspired Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen to world championship titles. 2026 will also herald the arrival of new F1 rules, and Newey is considered an engineer who uses the new rules to fine-tune tweaks and design changes for his team.
It’s possible that Alonso’s final year in F1 could be a good one when Newey designs his final masterpiece. “Expectations will be high because it’s a new car, a change in the rules, a car made by Adrian,” Alonso said. “Probably – or at least to start – this will be my last season in F1. Because my contract expires at the end of 2026. This is the time of delivery and the time of truth. High expectations.
“We have this mutual respect. We’ve exchanged a few messages and talked from time to time and we always seem connected. We’ve never worked together but we’ve always been on the same frequency when we’ve talked in the past.