Why rumours about Fernando Alonso and Alpine have…

Fernando Alonso has not decided his Formula 1 future beyond the end of this season and rumours have emerged about a sensational return to Alpine for a fourth stint with the Enstone-based team.

Alonso has already experienced saying goodbye in F1. At the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he bid farewell to McLaren and Formula 1, but it was not a goodbye to motorsport as he lined up a pursuit of the Triple Crown and a campaign in the World Endurance Championship – then later an outing at the Dakar Rally.

Eight years on, during the build-up to the Barcelona GP, Alonso admitted that the race at the Circuit de Catalunya will most likely be his last as an F1 driver.

“It's going to be a special weekend, probably my last Barcelona race in Formula 1. So, I want to say thanks to everyone,” he said.

He later added: “After summer I will take the decision to continue or not.”

It is no secret that Alonso may choose to end his F1 career at the conclusion of the season. And this time, at 45 years old, it could be a definitive farewell. However, when it comes to Alonso, caution is always necessary, given his fierce motivation throughout his barren run without success in F1.

Two scenarios are currently being discussed regarding his future. The first still involves Aston Martin and, in particular, the car set to debut in just over a month during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. It is essentially an 'AMR26 B' a package on which the team has placed its last hopes of turning around a season that has fallen well short of expectations.

Podium: champagne for Fernando Alonso and Flavio Briatore (Photo by: Motorsport Images)

But in the Barcelona paddock, another hypothesis is gaining momentum. There is a genuine possibility that Alonso could grant himself one final chapter with the team where he won his two world titles.

Alpine is now led by Flavio Briatore, who is also Alonso’s manager, and although he has repeatedly emphasised that the team's technical development remains the priority, the idea of welcoming Alonso for what could be his final F1 season is considered realistic.

It would be ‘Alonso IV’ in the story between the driver and the Enstone squad. The team first welcomed him under the Renault banner from 2003 to 2006, the most glorious period of his career, and then again from 2008 to 2009 after his split with McLaren. It was the same organisation, now known as Alpine, that brought him back to F1 in 2021.

One last stint at the team that gave him the most significant moments of his career would inevitably carry strong symbolic value. But it would not be just about sentiment.

Aston Martin still possesses enormous potential on paper, yet there are no guarantees that its partnership with Honda will produce a winning package by 2027. Alpine, thanks to its partnership with Mercedes, currently appears to be a more reassuring destination for someone who still dreams of standing on the podium at least one more time.

And what about Alonso’s farewell to Barcelona? The two-time F1 world champion is a skilled communicator in the media and his words on Thursday were not chosen by chance. The Circuit de Catalunya will not be part of the 2027 calendar, as it enters F1’s rotation system alongside Spa-Francorchamps, with a return scheduled for 2028.

From that perspective, the farewell is real – even if just for next year. However, the one person who may not be absent from next year’s event is Alonso himself.