Fernando Alonso ready to stay in F1 for 'two or three more years'

Don't talk to him about retirement: at 40, the double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso hopes to drive in the premier category of motorsport for "two or three years" again, he assured Friday.

To discover

• Formula 1: the calendar for the 2022 season

• Formula 1: manufacturers' classification

• Formula 1: drivers classification

Engaged alongside Alpine since 2021, the Spaniard does not intend for the time being to give up his place to the team's reserve driver, the Australian Oscar Piastri, 21, crowned Formula 2 champion in 2021.

"I think if I was 25, we wouldn't be talking about that, it's a question of age," he said at a press conference before the Australian Grand Prix.

Rather than age, for the driver, it is above all a question of performance: "last year, I think I did the right thing (he finished 10th in the championship, ahead of his teammate Esteban Ocon, ndr).

This year, we'll see how it goes, but it's a question of performance and not age," he said.

And to continue: “I think I still feel competitive and fast and I have a good time in Formula 1, so I will race I guess a few more years, two or three more years”.

Next to Alpine?

“If it's with Alpine it will be good, if it's with another team it will be good too.

"I will start these discussions probably during the summer", indicated the pilot, under contract with Alpine until the end of the season.

Alonso drove in F1 between 2001 and 2018, winning the world title with Renault in 2005 and 2006. The Spaniard raced for McLaren in 2007, then between 2015 and 2018. The brand also entered him in the Indianapolis 500 Miles in 2017 and 2019.

He signed his return to F1 with Alpine in 2021, after two years of absence following his last years of struggle at McLaren.

During this period, he took part in the World Endurance Championship (winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 and 2019 and the world title in 2018-2019), the 500 Miles of Indianapolis and the Dakar.