Fernando Alonso has still not decided whether he will continue in Formula 1 in 2027. But contrary to speculation, the performance of the new Honda engine will not dictate his choice.
At 45 years old, Fernando Alonso continues to keep the suspense regarding his future in Formula 1. His contract with Aston Martin expires at the end of the 2026 season and the Spaniard has not yet confirmed whether he will continue his career next year.
The difficult start of the new partnership between Aston Martin and Honda has naturally fueled questions. The Japanese manufacturer encountered significant difficulties with its power unit during the first half of the season, while the British team also struggled to be competitive.
Honda precisely introduced its first engine upgrade of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix. But Alonso assures that the performance of this new version will have virtually no influence on his decision regarding 2027.
The new Honda engine will not decide his future
Asked about the importance of this engine upgrade in his thinking, Alonso gave a particularly clear answer.
“It’s not important,” says the two-time world champion.
This obviously does not mean that he is uninterested in the progress made by Honda. The Spaniard hopes to see an improvement in several areas where the Japanese power unit had so far shown some shortcomings.
“I obviously hope that we will see benefits in terms of power, drivability, and in the different areas where we were lacking something.”
But for Alonso, raw performance currently matters less than Aston Martin and Honda’s ability to understand their problems and provide the right solutions.
Alonso is mainly looking for signs for the future
The Aston Martin driver notably draws a parallel with the major chassis upgrades introduced at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“For me, what is more important, like in Budapest with the chassis, is to see that there is an understanding of what we need and that we are taking a step forward.”
Aston Martin knew then that its upgrades would not immediately be enough to put the team back among the contenders for victories.
The goal was mainly to verify that the data from the factory actually matched the performance observed on track.
And on this point, Alonso was satisfied.
“In Budapest, we knew we were not going to fight for the top positions, but we wanted to check that the direction taken regarding the chassis was the right one. I think we did.”
Correlation is more important than the stopwatch
For Alonso, this validation is a particularly encouraging element looking ahead to the next seasons.
“It’s something positive for the future, because the correlation is good and what we expected was indeed achieved.”
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He now wants to observe exactly the same phenomenon with the Honda power unit.
The Japanese manufacturer made several changes to its engine at Zandvoort and Aston Martin must now check if the results seen on track correspond to the simulations.
“With the engine, it’s now the same thing. They made some changes, so it would be good to confirm that everything works as expected.”
And Alonso insists: the exact time gain ultimately matters quite little.
“Whether it’s a tenth or a second, it doesn’t really matter.”
“We are too far away to worry about a number”
This statement mainly illustrates the path still to be covered by Aston Martin and Honda.
After a complicated first half of the season, the British team remains too far from the championship benchmarks for a gain of a few tenths to immediately change its situation.
“We are too far behind to really worry about a number”, admits Alonso. “We just want to see that what we expected is indeed achieved.”
The goal is therefore more to validate the development methods than to immediately seek a spectacular result.
If the upgrades work as expected, Aston Martin will then have a more solid base to continue its development and try to gradually reduce its gap.
Alonso has still not decided for 2027
The question of the Spaniard’s future remains open. Alonso has still not decided whether he will compete in another Formula 1 season in 2027.
The immediate performance of the new Honda engine will not however be the determining factor that some imagined.
At this stage of his career, Alonso seems more attentive to the ability of Aston Martin to demonstrate that it understands its weaknesses and knows how to fix them.
More than a few tenths gained in the short term, it is therefore the overall trajectory of the Aston Martin-Honda project that could weigh in Alonso’s decision to continue, or not, his career in Formula 1 in 2027.
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