Welcome to Neverland. An introspective Fernando Alonso opens up on the past, present and staying very much in the future as he talks about engaging a new generation of fans, giving back to the sport he loves, and why his 33rd Grand Prix victory is closer to becoming a reality now that Adrian Newey is on his side. And for the first time, with the help of AI and our friends at ElevenLabs and DeepReel, listen to this latest instalment of UNDERCUT in English, Spanish or French in the voice of Fernando himself using the player above.
Connery, Lazenby, Dalton, Brosnan, Craig, those who play James Bond are immortalised, but does immortality await another driver of an Aston Martin?
Time waits for no one, yet in Fernando Alonso we find an athlete determined to defy its unstoppable march. On course to make his 400th Formula One race at the Mexico City Grand Prix later this month, Fernando's F1 career spans more than two decades. As hungry, fast and combative as ever, El Padre shows no sign of slowing down, but in our latest UNDERCUT interview even Fernando concedes that nothing lasts forever… but that isn't going to stop him from trying to be remembered just that little bit longer than sporting stars who have gone before.
'Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while…'
Fernando's last dance remains a little while away after signing a deal that will see him race into 2026 with Aston Martin Aramco, but if you set aside the Cold War sentiment of Alphaville's synth-pop hit 'Forever Young', a song that first reached ears not long after a fearless young Spanish racer came into the world, the '80s track comes to mind as Fernando reflects on his career past, present and future.
Just as a song lives on by taking on different meanings and capturing a different spirit of the time, here we find Fernando, still racing, still fighting, and still capturing hearts and minds, but crucially, of a new generation of fans.
In a far-reaching interview, the Spaniard reflects on what he calls "switching on" this new generation, why he wants to give back to the sport he loves and just how he plans to be etched in people's minds for even longer than the sporting heroes he looked up to as a child – perhaps with a little help from Adrian Newey.
Last year was a wake-up call for that younger generation. Suddenly it was like, 'Wow, this Fernando Alonso guy is still here, still competitive, and I want to support him.'
I DON'T WANT TO PERISH LIKE A FADING HORSE
From Michael Schumacher to Max Verstappen, you've competed in F1 for more than two decades. Do you see yourself as a link between different sporting generations?
"Yeah, absolutely. I raced with Jos Verstappen in my first two seasons in Formula One and now I'm racing with Max!
"I think the younger generation saw me as kind of old because I'm sure their parents would talk about my World Championships, my wins with Renault, McLaren and Ferrari, things like that. And when you are 12, 13 years old it's like, 'OK, OK, yeah, I don’t want to hear about these kinds of things, the present is different, it's other drivers who are winning now. You are living in the past.'
"The good season we had last year though, with all the podiums, together with Aston Martin Aramco it's like we switched on a new generation of fans. We engaged a younger generation – new fans and fans who had come into the sport through Netflix's Drive to Survive."
How significant was last year for your career?
"Last year was a wake-up call for that younger generation. Suddenly it was like, 'Wow, you know, this Fernando Alonso guy is still here, still competitive, and I want to support him. What my parents said about him has to be true.'
"And now, I see a real mix of generations – generations 20 years apart – who are supporting me and interested in Formula One: I see them in the airports, on the streets, at the track, at my museum. It's very difficult in any sport to find an athlete who has this connection with two very different generations of fans.
"There are people who followed me in the 2000s, who saw me win those World Championships and now their kids, their sons, their daughters, are also watching Formula One and supporting me – they're watching the races with their parents. It's incredible to think I’m that link, that connection between them in terms of their passion for the sport.
"It's a wonderful story to be able to bring things full circle."
SO MANY DREAMS SWINGING OUT OF THE BLUE, WE LET THEM COME TRUE
You mentioned your museum. How important is it for you to give something back to the sport you love?
"I remember, when I was young, that to race go-karts – to follow my passion and my dream – I had to go to other parts of Spain because Asturias didn't have any facilities at all. And then, when I reached a certain level, I had to go to Italy because in Spain we didn't have a major karting championship. It's very different now to how it was.
"The sport gave me so much in my life that now it's very rewarding for me to see kids using and enjoying the kart track I have built in Asturias – when I see them discovering motorsport – and see people visiting the Fernando Alonso Museum, getting emotional when they see the cars, the helmets, the items from my career.
"Motorsport has given me so much and I'm happy that I can give that back to the fans and future generations. I hope they fall in love with the sport as much as I have."
Is that the reason why you built the museum and kart track?
"You know, until I had the museum and the circuit, I never thought about it.
"The original reason for building the museum was that Renault gifted me my championship-winning car after the 2005 season. Suddenly, so many people, all my friends and family, wanted to visit my garage and take pictures with the car, and I said, 'OK, I will put this somewhere else because I cannot host everyone in my house!' That's how the museum started and now it's a big success.
"80 per cent of the visitors come from abroad. They are travelling to visit the museum and it is the second most popular tourist destination in the Asturias region. The kart track is important too. There are so many kids who are discovering motorsport and karting thanks to these facilities. It's very rewarding."
YOUTH'S LIKE DIAMONDS IN THE SUN
What's the long-term ambition for the karting school? Do you want to find the next Spanish Formula One World Champion?
"The ambition of my karting school is to give people the chance to take their first step into motorsport, discover karting and have fun.
"Having fun is the important bit. It's a hobby to start with. Instead of parents taking their kids to the swimming pool, football pitch or tennis court at the weekend, they can come to the kart track and have some fun.
"Then, if you have the talent, if you start winning races, we try to develop and guide you. We now have kids who went through the karting school, who are making their way up the motorsport ladder. We have one racing in the Spanish Rally Championship, another racing in Dakar next year and Nikola Tsolov is racing in F3 now. They're all at different stages of their motorsport career but it all started in Oviedo at our karting school when they were about 10 years old."
I would love for my name to stay around for a little bit longer than most, but I know that's going to be extremely difficult because we live in the present, not the past.
How hard is it to find the next stars of the sport?
"It is an incredibly tough sport. It's so competitive and it can be brutal at times. It's very difficult to find the talent: when someone is 10 or 11 years old you cannot say whether they will make it to Formula One.
"The journey you have to follow to reach Formula One is a long one, it's very complex and you need a lot of support. You need financial backing and sponsors to be able to make your way in single-seaters."
AND DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
And what about your motorsport career, Fernando? You can't race forever.
"It is true that nothing stays the same. Things move on and what happened in the past is easily and quickly forgotten. It's like all those Real Madrid players I idolised when I was growing up, now you go through the current Real Madrid squad and they're not there anymore.
"I would love for my name to stay around for a little bit longer than most, but I know that's going to be extremely difficult because we live in the present, not the past. Things move on. It's just the natural way of things."
So how will you try to keep your name around longer than most?
"There are things that will help me stay in the present, things that will help me be remembered that little bit longer. I have a brand of go-karts with my name on them, the FA Alonso Kart, which is being raced in major championships around the world and by karting world champions; I have set up A14 Management to guide and develop talented young drivers; and I have the museum and kart track in Oviedo.
"When I re-signed with the team earlier this year, the contract was about more than just driving. It takes me into the 2026 season and the sport's new technical regulations. And from there, we'll see how many more years of driving.
"When I stop driving in Formula One, I want to remain part of the team so that everything I've learnt, all my experience, everything I've been through in more than 30 years of motorsport, is still alive and not slowly dying as the years go on."
I have Adrian's phone number and texted him: 'What a surprise. If you ever think you would like a new challenge, I would love to work with you one day.'
Does Adrian Newey's arrival at Aston Martin Aramco change how much longer you see yourself racing in Formula One?
"I would be lying if I said I didn't think about that. Adrian will arrive in March next year and dedicate his time to 2026 so let's see how I feel at the end of '26 and if I can keep going: it will be a decision that we make together as a team, with Lawrence [Stroll], with Adrian.
"For me, it's an incredible opportunity because driving one of Adrian's F1 cars is something very special, but also because when you work with people of Adrian's calibre there is so much that you can learn from them. It's hugely rewarding."
You've been racing against Adrian for so many years and now, finally, you're going to be in the same team. What was your reaction when you first found out he was joining Aston Martin Aramco?
"I was hoping Adrian would join when he decided to stop with his previous team. To start with, you dream that it can be a possibility. There were a couple of rumours that he was joining different teams and I was asking Lawrence, I was asking Martin Whitmarsh, I was asking various people in the team if we had contacted Adrian.
"I even ended up contacting him. I have his phone number and texted him: 'What a surprise. If you ever think you would like a new challenge, I would love to work with you one day.'
"And I then found out that Adrian and Lawrence were in contact. Lawrence kept me up to date on negotiations. When Adrian decided to join, I was extremely happy but also extremely proud – proud that he wanted to work with us and that he believed in our project.
"It also shows what Lawrence can do – only Lawrence can do certain things. There is no limit to his passion for motorsport and his vision for Aston Martin Aramco. I've never seen anything like it – someone so determined, so passionate. He's an inspiration to all of us in the team. It's a privilege to work with him."
Winning another F1 race after all these years would be a real statement: never give up; always fight for your dreams; follow your passion; do what you want to do.
You talk about Lawrence being an inspiration and you previously mentioned the Real Madrid players you idolised when you were younger. You are also an inspirational figure to so many people. What is that like?
"It is special, but you often don't realise what you mean to people until you experience moments with very emotional fans or you hear incredible stories of support. It opens your eyes. You see how much respect they have for you, how much they know about you, and you see how you inspire them to be better or achieve something.
"You see people who were in a difficult moment in their life and they see your career and they are inspired by it – they see that you never gave up – and they write you a letter to tell you their story and when you read it, when you hear that story, that's when you realise how much you can mean to someone else.
"It wakes you up in a way because you're so focused on the next race, the next meeting with your engineers, the next performance item that will make the car one-hundredth of a second faster. It's an endless pursuit, adding performance to the car, becoming a better driver, and you're so focused on these things that you cannot see wide enough to realise the impact you have made and how much you mean to people."
Back to Adrian Newey for a moment. Wherever he goes, success follows – he's a serial winner. Does finally having him on your side make you feel that your 33rd Grand Prix win, and maybe even a third title, is closer to becoming a reality?
"Well, victory is definitely closer with Adrian than without him, that's for sure. He has an incredible record of success in Formula One.
"I'm aware of my situation and I hope I can be there to drive that fast car that Adrian produces, but if it doesn't arrive in time for me to drive, I will still enjoy it because I will still be part of the team and on this exciting journey with Aston Martin Aramco."
Do you think about win number 33 much?
"I have thought about it, and it would mean a lot. Winning another Formula One race after all these years would be a real statement: never give up; always fight for your dreams; follow your passion; do what you want to do.
"It would mean a lot for me, but it could mean a lot for the sport itself. And it could mean a lot for many young drivers: if they're going through a period without success, it doesn't matter, what matters is you're doing what you love to do. If you keep trying to perform at your very best, keep improving, keep putting in the hard work, and if you can be in the right place at the right time, success can arrive."
Win number 33 might even help you to be remembered for longer…
"It might! We're doing everything we can in the team to make it a reality. It will be very special if we do. It will be special for me, special for Aston Martin Aramco and special to reward all those people who have supported me during my career. Let's see…"
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