During the build-up to this weekend’s round in Malaysia, Fernando Alonso ended months of prevarication and announced publicly that he will continue to drive for the Aston Martin team for at least one more year, continuing his partnership with Lance Stroll, the son of the owner, Lawrence Stroll. It was a revelation that was fully expected by all in the Formula 1 paddock, with the 45-year-old Spaniard still passionate about racing and hoping for a brighter future if only the outfit can provide him with a far more competitive car than the decidedly off-the-pace one he and his teammate currently occupy.

Alonso’s F1 career began in Australia back in 2001, driving for Minardi, and he has since competed in well over 400 races at world motorsport’s highest level, winning 32 Grands Prix along the way. The veteran pedaller became the world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006 but hasn’t won a Grand Prix since his home event back in 2013. However, illustrating the supreme self-confidence racing drivers thrive on, and also a clear lack of modesty, Alonso was happy to declare that he still feels “as fast as anyone else” on the Formula 1 grid. Interestingly, six of the 21 other current F1 drivers weren’t even born when he claimed his first podium finish in 2003.



Elsewhere on the driver front, Max Verstappen may have committed his future to Red Bull, but the McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, has revealed that he had exploratory talks with the four-time world champion during the summer break about a potential move to his team, adding that the door would always be open should he be interested in following his long-time race engineer and close friend, Gianpiero Lambiase, to the Woking-based outfit.

Lower down the pecking order, Esteban Ocon looks set to be without a drive in Formula 1 next season after his departure from Haas at the end of the current campaign was confirmed by both the Frenchman and the team. There’s already an impressive queue of quality young contenders looking to step up to F1 in his place.



Formula 1 is and always has been such a results-orientated sport and business, and, whether a driver or team principal, your job security is always dependent upon what results you prove you can consistently deliver or not, as is sometimes the case. On the team principal front, Ferrari has felt the need to issue an assurance that Fred Vasseur isn’t in any danger of losing his job despite Christian Horner admitting that it would be a dream job for him. It has to be remembered, though, that back in 2022 Ferrari stated that the then under-pressure team principal, Mattia Binotto, would not be leaving the team, but just weeks later he was very much forced to leave.

The Ferrari president, John Elkann, is understandably disappointed that the massive financial investment in acquiring the services of Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes has to date failed to create any real-world title potential on the drivers' or constructors' fronts, and the Ferrari assertion that Vasseur still has its full support is reminiscent of what often happens in the football world just before managers and coaches are relieved of their duties! Vasseur has hardly had an illustrious career to date in terms of Formula 1 success after spells at the helm of Renault, Sauber, Alfa Romeo and now Ferrari, and we can't wait to see what follows.