Fernando Alonso has taken a subtle dig at Mercedes and Red Bull, claiming that Aston Martin was where he ‘felt the most wanted’. The veteran Spaniard was routinely linked with two of F1’s biggest teams ahead of 2024’s silly season, but opted to stay put, signing a new multi-year contract with the Silverstone-based outfit on Thursday.

Alonso was seen as a compelling option to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull and the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, although both giants were keen to hold their cards for a little longer with no official offers on the table for the Spaniard. 

Instead of waiting around for the future of Max Verstappen to become more clear, Alonso opted to become the first mover in the 2024 driver market with his new contract announced over a week prior to the fifth round of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit. 

After signing his new terms, Alonso said: “I felt the most wanted in Aston Martin. The other conversations were just light and maybe more time was needed, whereas in Aston there was a clear desire to work together and it was the same I had.”

The two-time world champion also cited the role that the 2026 technical regulation changes and the upcoming relationship with Honda played in deciding his destination. “Yeah, it was an important point, I will not lie,” he added. 

“To commit to a one-year project didn’t make sense for me. It’s not that I had a one-year proposal elsewhere or anything like that – it was just… I was very clear to Aston in the first conversations that the appealing part of this project is just everything that we are building.

“For me, it was a must to really enter new regulations with a new project. Part of the decision to stay at Aston is because they are with Honda for 2026, it is because they are with Aramco, the biggest and the best partner in the world. 

“We have incredible, talented people in the team now on the technical side that will benefit from the new wind tunnel and the new facilities in Silverstone. There were a lot of factors that made 2026 very appealing with Aston.”

Alonso’s decision will make matters more complicated for Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. The Austrian’s shortlist to replace his departing seven-time champion contained both the Aston Martin driver and Max Verstappen, and neither looks likely to be wearing black overalls when the 2025 season gets underway.