Fernando Alonso has admitted he spoke to multiple rival F1 teams before signing a new contract to stay at Aston Martin.

The Spanish veteran, a two-time world champion, had been tipped to join Red Bull and Mercedes but will see through 2025 and 2026 in an Aston instead.

Yet he has suggested he held talks with both teams as the Silver Arrows look to replace Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull explore whether or not to axe Sergio Perez.

He explained: “I did speak with other people as well, yes. I think it’s normal when you enter negotiations, you need to balance a little bit [and ask] ‘what is the market?’

“You need to listen to everyone else as well. It’s just a normal procedure, and I think it’s fair to listen to all the proposals and see how the market moves.

“In my head, Aston was the logical thing for me to do. In the end, I felt the most wanted in Aston Martin.

“All the other conversations were just light, and never came to any conclusions or something like that.

“Maybe more time was needed, all these kind of things. While in Aston, it was a clear desire to work together, which was the same that I had. That’s why it came very easy.”