Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin future is reportedly up in the air with some key members within the team hoping to lure Carlos Sainz to Silverstone for the 2025 season and beyond. The Spaniard would partner Lance Stroll, who has been a mainstay with the team since making the switch from Williams in 2019.
According to a report from Motorsport.com, factions within Aston Martin are seriously considering replacing Alonso with Sainz with the latter seen as a compelling option to lead the team into the new technical regulation period in 2026.
Sainz – described by Christian Horner last month as Red Bull’s nemesis following his win in Melbourne – is currently the hottest commodity on the driver market with the reigning champions heavily weighing him up as a possible team-mate for Max Verstappen, and Aston Martin, Mercedes and Audi also watching keenly.
The three-time Grand Prix winner currently has options at his fingertips as he looks to secure the strongest route back to race-win contention after watching his Ferrari future disappear overnight in February. Arguably the standout performer of the 2024 season so far, Sainz’s future could well be the first domino of this year’s silly season.
Should Aston Martin opt to shuffle their pack and replace Alonso with Sainz, it would represent a change in the narrative regarding the two-time world champion’s future. Until now, the 42-year-old has held all of the cards.
All along, Alonso has suggested that he is considering whether or not he wants to continue in F1, and only when that decision is made will he decide his future. The veteran racer has also insisted that he will first hold talks with Aston Martin, despite flirting with the idea of moves to Red Bull and Mercedes.
If Alonso does opt to continue in F1 and believes that his future lies with a front-running team, then he will face stiff competition to secure the seat alongside Verstappen in 2025. Currently, incumbent second driver Sergio Perez is primed to retain his drive following a strong start to the season.
However, there is also competition from within the Red Bull driver system with Yuki Tsunoda described as a ‘blossoming’ driver by Helmut Marko. The report also states that there is still interest in Alex Albon, and the reigning champions are also considering ‘more experienced candidates’. Whether or not Alonso is one of those remains to be seen.
