Fernando Alonso to retire by 2028: Can he fight for wins in 2026?

Fernando Alonso’s Formula 1 story is one of brilliance, rebellion, heartbreak, and sheer, unrelenting drive. The Spaniard’s decision to call time on his career by 2028 isn’t just the closing of a chapter—it’s the slow fade of one of the most fascinating competitors the sport has ever seen. A two-time world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, Alonso broke Michael Schumacher’s five-year dominance and became, for a time, the youngest double world champion in history. Those seasons were peak Alonso: fierce in combat, razor-sharp under pressure, and utterly fearless in wheel-to-wheel racing. But after those early triumphs came years of near-misses—his heartbreak at Ferrari from 2010 to 2014 remains the stuff of legend. Three times he came within a race, even a lap, of another championship, only to be denied by circumstance and, at times, Ferrari’s own shortcomings. When Alonso stepped away from Formula 1 at the end of 2018, it wasn’t because the fire had gone out—it was because he’d run out of patience. He took his talents elsewhere, conquering Le Mans twice, tackling the Indianapolis 500, and even trying his hand at the Dakar Rally. But Formula 1 was always home, and when Aston Martin came calling, Alonso returned in 2023 with the hunger of a rookie and the craft of a veteran. What followed was a renaissance: a string of podiums, a new sense of purpose, and proof that at 40-plus, he could still school drivers half his age. Now, with his sights set on the 2026 regulation reset, Alonso knows time is running short—but he also knows opportunity when he sees it. The partnership between Aston Martin and Honda could be his last, best shot at tasting victory again.

Still, the romantic in him understands how cruel Formula 1 can be. Championships demand perfection—timing, machinery, luck—and Alonso has rarely been blessed with all three at once. Yet that’s what makes him so compelling. Even without the numbers of Hamilton or Vettel, Alonso’s legend lies in the fight itself. Every overtake, every qualifying lap wrung from a stubborn car, every defiant radio message tells the story of a man who refused to fade. Whether or not 2026 brings the fairytale ending, Alonso’s final act will be remembered not for how it ends, but for what it represents: a last stand by one of the greatest racers of his generation, still chasing the impossible, still believing he can win.