“I am here to stay,” read Fernando Alonso‘s crisp statement after he re-signed with Aston Martin for 2 more years. A 22-year-long glorious career will not come to an end this year. Anything you say about Alonso’s career is an understatement as compared to what he has done on track. Outperformed the car and his teammate every time he set foot in a machine and now it is just him outperforming himself. Does Aston Martin factor into his plan of greatness?

Two years ago, when Fernando signed with Aston Martin ditching a team that was leading the pack of the best of the rest, the world was left flabbergasted. Why would an experienced driver like him ditch a team like Alpine (formerly Renault) and go to a team that is surviving being a backmarker? But again, it was Alonso who hadn’t always made great decisions when it came to switching teams.

However, contrary to his past decisions, the Aston decision turned out to be a great one. Post a dry spell of a decade (barring a glitch podium) Fernando bagged 6 podiums in the first 8 races of 2023. The new generation saw the El Plan in action for the first time. The hunger that the world saw a glimpse of hasn’t died down and Aston Martin TP agrees.

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In 2022, Lawrence Stroll gave Fernando Alonso an offer he couldn’t refuse, and Fernando didn’t. The strides that Aston Martin had been making in the nascent years were the main selling point. This included Lawrence’s investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the development facility, bringing in key figures like Dan Fallows, and also giving a 40-year-old Nando their multi-year trust. No other team on the grid offered this to him and this partnership has fit like a glove.

Talking about the renewed partnership, as quoted by Top Gear, Mike Krack said, “Securing Fernando’s long-term future with Aston Martin Aramco is fantastic news. We have built a strong working relationship over the last 18 months and we share the same determination to see this project succeed. We have been in constant dialogue over the last few months, and Fernando has been true to his word when he decided he wanted to continue racing. He talked to us first. Fernando has shown he believes in us, and we believe in him.”

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He further added, “Fernando is hungry for success, driving better than ever, is fitter than ever, and is completely dedicated to making Aston Martin Aramco a competitive force. This multi-year agreement with Fernando takes us into 2026 when we begin our works power unit partnership with Honda. We look forward to creating more incredible memories and achieving further success together.”

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But why was there no interest in Mercedes and Red Bull? Were these teams not exciting enough for Fernando?

Why didn’t Fernando Alonso sign with Red Bull or Mercedes?

Mercedes is in the most shambolic situation in its 14-year history. Lewis Hamilton is having the worst time in his 16-year-old career. The recent downfall of the 8x champion team has led to Toto Wolff losing its biggest asset in Hamilton. Factoring in these pointers, Mercedes doesn’t seem like the place to be, especially for someone who is as hungry as Alonso. I mean, there is a solid reason why Hamilton left, right?

Understanding Red Bull’s situation, one obvious thing is that any driver who comes into the reigning champion team will be the second driver for whom the team won’t break much of a sweat as compared to what happens in other teams. It is pretty contrasting to the love and respect Alonso is currently given at the Silverstone-based outfit. Moreover, the Milton Keynes outfit will never bring in any driver who poses a threat to their golden boy, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso is not someone who would back out when he can have a go at the win.

Outside these two teams, it didn’t make sense for him to go anywhere else, especially with the Ferrari and McLaren lineup sealed for the future. Aston Martin. Alonso is chasing his 33rd win and with that Aston Martin chasing their first. Fernando was brought into the team which is being built around Lance Stroll for the experience and cerebral acumen he brings with him. With this, he is the leading point scorer of the team by a very big margin. This is a comfortable situation for Nando and perhaps all these factors are why the Spaniard took this decision.

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Do you think Fernando Alonso made the right decision?