The future, the one that is far from the circuits, can wait. Everything indicates that Fernando Alonso will continue in Formula 1 next year, thus confirming that challenge that he sent not too long ago: “I will retire when I find a teammate who makes me see that it is time to stop.”
And judging by the performance seen in recent races, Alonso is far from that condition that has been imposed to step aside. The renewal of his contract with Alpine (not yet closed) is a formality, also confirmed by the negotiations that the French team is carrying out with Williams to guarantee that in 2023 the British team will start Oscar Piastri.
Alonso has confirmed on the track that he still has a lot to give, and the results of the last races have confirmed it. In the world championship standings he is a long way from his teammate Esteban Ocon (at the moment the sum of points is 31 to 16 in favor of the Frenchman), but it is a gap also formed by the unfortunate circumstances that have affected the Alonso himself.
The performance that the two-time world champion is giving to the team is very clear, and even from the top leadership of the team the extension of Alonso’s contract has been defended. In fact, the only reason to really consider exchanging Alonso for Piastri was economic, but Renault supports the idea of continuing to have the driver who made them great in the early 2000s.
In 2023, it seems certain that Fernando Alonso will contest his 20th season in Formula 1, and in 2022 he will overtake Kimi Raikkonen to become the driver with the most grand prizes in F1 history. In fact, last weekend he already surpassed one of Michael Schumacher, the one with the longest career (in time) in the top category.
Neither that nor when he beats Kimi will be a gigantic joy for the great Asturian. The real goal is to return to the top step of the podium after almost ten years of absence since his last success, which dates back to the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. 2023 will once again offer an opportunity.
