Fernando Alonso’s “mental will” to fight for title, aged 45, to be tested

Fernando Alonso must overcome the “mental will” to win another F1 championship, it has been suggested.

Aston Martin’s Alonso will benefit from working alongside Adrian Newey for the last chapter in his Formula 1 career.

Now aged 43, Alonso suddenly has hope to add to the two titles he won with Renault.

He is contracted to Aston Martin until the end of 2026, the first season where he will be equipped by a car fully-designed by the incoming Newey.

“Anything is possible,” Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz commented.

“Alonso will be 44 when Adrian starts to have his first influence. He will be 45 years old when he drives the first Newey car and goes for the championship.

“I asked Newey about this. Adrian said it’s about mental will. If you’re still quick enough, but the mental fatigue goes. You don’t want to do it anymore.

“If Fernando can buck that, and wants to keep going, then there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to.

“Fernando going for a third championship at 45 years old? There’s nothing to say he won’t get the missing 33rd win in 2025 with a Newey-influenced car.”

Newey and Alonso have each spoken about their desire to work together over the years.

Their paths almost crossed at Red Bull but, despite talks, Alonso opted against joining the project which would later deliver titles for Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

“Paul Monaghan, at Red Bull, was Alonso’s race engineer at Renault,” Kravitz remembered.

“He was one of the key people who tried to convince Fernando to come to Red Bull in 2009.

“He was quite close but, in the end, it didn’t happen.”

Alonso will have his dream accomplice in Newey, beginning in March.

But he must defy the age barrier to fully take advantage of Newey’s car-designing genius.