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Fernando Alonso will continue to race in Formula 1 with Aston Martin next season after the team announced that the two-time world champion has signed a fresh deal to keep him onboard into 2026 and the sport’s next regulatory cycle.

Alonso made the move to Aston Martin from Alpine for 2023 and the two parties enjoyed a strong start to their partnership by bagging six podium finishes across the first eight races of last year’s campaign.

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Highlights included P2 finishes in Monaco, Canada and the Netherlands, as the Spaniard helped the team rise from seventh to fifth in the constructors’ standings under team owner Lawrence Stroll’s push to turn Aston Martin into a title-contending force.

Amid relatively stable regulations, and a converging field, Aston Martin have experienced a solid but unspectacular start to the 2024 season, remaining in fifth position behind Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes with a series of top-10 finishes.

Following on from the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s shock switch to Ferrari for 2025, there was also plenty of speculation over Alonso’s future, initially regarding whether or not he would commit to another stint in F1 and, if so, if that would be with Aston Martin.

But both of those questions have now been answered, with news landing on Thursday afternoon that Alonso will extend his stay at the Silverstone outfit into a third campaign and beyond.

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Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack said of the announcement: “Securing Fernando’s long-term future with Aston Martin Aramco is fantastic news. We have built a strong working relationship over the last 18 months and we share the same determination to see this project succeed.

“We have been in constant dialogue over the last few months and Fernando has been true to his word: when he decided he wanted to continue racing, he talked to us first. Fernando has shown he believes in us, and we believe in him.

“Fernando is hungry for success, driving better than ever, is fitter than ever, and is completely dedicated to making Aston Martin Aramco a competitive force.

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“This multi-year agreement with Fernando takes us into 2026 when we begin our works power unit partnership with Honda. We look forward to creating more incredible memories and achieving further success together.”

Aston Martin sit fifth in the constructors’ standings after the opening four rounds of 2024, behind Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and leaders Red Bull.