Fernando Alonso's 2026 season, measured: 45 years old, a record 437 starts, and a contract that ends in December
Fernando Alonso is the oldest driver in Formula 1 for more than 50 years and holds the record for Grand Prix starts. In 2026 he has three points from fourteen races in an Aston Martin shaken by its Honda engine, and his contract ends this year. Every race, and what he has said about his future.
Fernando Alonso turned 45 in July. He is the oldest driver to race in Formula 1 in more than fifty years, and no driver in the sport's history has started more Grands Prix.
His 2026 has not been a season to match that record. In an Aston Martin built around Honda's new power unit, he has three points from fourteen races and five non-finishes, and in China he withdrew at two thirds distance because the car was shaking so badly. His contract ends in December, and he has said he hopes this is "not the last season". Whether it is depends, he has suggested, on the rules as much as the car.
Every message he exchanged with his engineer on air this season, from the Canadian Grand Prix onward, is on Fernando Alonso's team radio page, with the audio and a transcript coloured by who is speaking.
Every race of his 2026 season
The first seven rounds:
Round
Grand Prix
Started
Finished
1
Australian
17th
Retired
2
Chinese
18th
Withdrew
3
Japanese
21st
18th
4
Miami
17th
15th
5
Canadian
19th
Retired
6
Monaco
21st
10th
7
Barcelona
22nd
Retired
Grand Prix results only. Bold marks a points finish.
The next seven:
Round
Grand Prix
Started
Finished
8
Austrian
21st
18th
9
British
21st
18th
10
Belgian
22nd
19th
11
Hungarian
16th
14th
12
Dutch
18th
9th
13
Italian
21st
Retired
14
Spanish (Madrid)
17th
17th
Starting positions are the grid after penalties. He has not started higher than sixteenth this season.
The season in numbers
3 points: tenth at Monaco and ninth at Zandvoort, his best of the year.
5 non-finishes: Melbourne, China, Canada, Barcelona and Monza.
Best grid position: 16th, in Hungary. He started last twice, in Barcelona and at Spa.
Gained places in eight of his nine finishes, eleven at Monaco and nine at Zandvoort.
His sprints: seventeenth in China, fifteenth in Miami, retired in Canada, twentieth at Silverstone, eighteenth at Zandvoort.
The car
Aston Martin's problem this season is well documented. Vibration from Honda's new power unit, which Adrian Newey has described as "the amplifier" with the chassis "the receiver", has been blamed for damaging other components in the car. Before the season, Alonso said he could manage about 25 consecutive laps before risking nerve damage in his hands. In China he withdrew from the race because of it. The team's whole season, including Lance Stroll's ten non-finishes, is measured in Aston Martin's 2026.
Honda has said there will be no major power unit upgrade before 2027, and Aston Martin has finished its aerodynamic development for this car. For Alonso, the rest of 2026 is the car he has.
Zandvoort
His ninth at the last Dutch Grand Prix was the team's best result of the year. His engineer's message afterwards was as much for the factory as for him:
"Well done Fernando, that was a great drive, very disciplined and a great boost for everybody down at Silverstone." Every message from that race is in our Dutch Grand Prix 2026 race radio archive.
What comes next
Alonso's contract with Aston Martin runs to the end of 2026. He has said he does not feel it is time to stop, and has called 2026 "hopefully not the last season". What he has also made clear is that he does not like the current rules, and the changes planned for 2027, including more power from the combustion engine, are part of the calculation.
Nine rounds remain, starting with Baku on 26 September. The full table is in the 2026 standings.
What this measures, and what it does not
Results, grid positions and points come from Formula 1's official timing data and match the published standings after the Spanish Grand Prix.
His record of Grand Prix starts is as reported by Motorsport.com in September 2026. It grows by one every race he starts.
Quotes are taken only from lines where the speaker label and the words agree.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Fernando Alonso?
He was born on 29 July 1981, so he is 45 in the 2026 season, the oldest driver on the grid.
How many Grands Prix has Fernando Alonso started?
A record 437 by September 2026, more than any driver in Formula 1 history.
Is Fernando Alonso retiring after 2026?
His Aston Martin contract ends in December 2026. He has said he hopes 2026 is not his last season, and that the regulations planned for 2027 will weigh on his decision.
How many points does Fernando Alonso have in 2026?
Three after the Spanish Grand Prix: tenth at Monaco and ninth at Zandvoort.
Sources
Results, grid positions and points: Formula 1 timing data via FastF1, matching the published standings after the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix
Aston Martin's vibration problem and the China withdrawal: PlanetF1
Every radio message quoted: our own team radio archive
Hear him live
Alonso's radio has been some of the sharpest in Formula 1 for two decades, and it still is from the back of the grid.
The Formula Dream app plays live driver radio as it is broadcast, transcript beside the audio, and collects every FIA document of the weekend as it is published. There is also a live timing Dashboard, currently in beta.
Free, no subscription, no ads, independent. Not affiliated with Formula 1.
Nineteen Chinese Grands Prix have been held in Shanghai since 2004. Lewis Hamilton won six, pole won twelve, and in 2026 Kimi Antonelli took the first win of his career there, at 19, with Hamilton on the podium for Ferrari for the first time. Every winner, grid slot and safety car, measured.
Fernando AlonsoAston Martin · Dutch Grand Prix 2026 · Race · 17:14:06 local
EngineerWell done Fernando, that was a great drive, very disciplined and a great boost for everybody down at Silverstone. Thank you. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks to you guys, everyone at Silverstone. Amazing. A lot to come to guys. And more to come I know. Thank you.
