Fernando Alonso insists he will not leave Aston Martin for another team next year, saying the main question hanging over his future is whether he enjoys driving the latest generation of Formula 1 cars enough to remain in the series.
Alonso, 44, has previously said he will decide on his 2027 plans over the summer break, which starts after this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Aston Martin has made a dismal start to F1's latest regulation cycle in 2026, scoring just one point via Alonso in Monaco and, as recently as last weekend, qualifying over five seconds off pole position at Spa-Francorchamps.
The team is bringing a major upgrade to its car this weekend that it hopes will signal the start of a recovery, but Alonso insists his own future is not linked directly to the car's competitiveness.
"I think it's not that I need answers [from the upgrade package], I think I have a pretty clear picture of the team that we will fix all the problems," he said. "They take time but I think I have no doubts, I have zero doubts that Adrian [Newey, team principal and managing technical partner] will provide the best car on the grid sooner or later.
"So that's probably, as I said before, I would like to see the first step with this package, with the understanding after the first couple of races and I think there's going to be more to come next year, that's for sure, and the years to come.
"So it's just how soon the car will be competitive, that's the question mark, maybe the next two races will give us a little bit of a feeling for that. But for me, I'm relaxed, as I said many times, I'm thinking I need to know what I do next year and the years to come. I feel fresh, I feel motivated, I feel fast, but I need to enjoy also what I do.
"And as I said, in Spa, I think Silverstone Grand Prix and Spa, it was not fun to drive. I think it's not fun to watch, it's not fun to drive. And we've been repeating the same thing every single grand prix and it's not to criticise anything, it's just to improve altogether the sport.
"And I think the direction that we took this year, I think from the driving side, I don't know from the spectator side, but behind the cockpit is not the same adrenaline that I used to have driving a Formula 1 car. So that's something that I need to put on the table. So it's not a problem of the competitiveness of the team, it's just a problem in Formula 1 gives me the adrenaline that I need to live."
During the same press conference, Alonso, along with Williams driver Carlos Sainz and Alpine's Franco Colapinto, was asked when he will announce news of his contract for next year.
While the other two drivers, who are out of contract at the end of the year, declined to answer, Alonso said: "I do have a contract, so I'm not moving."
Meanwhile, Aston Martin has played down the importance of instant results from its upgrade package in Budapest.
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The update includes a new chassis and significant changes to the car's aerodynamic surfaces, but Honda's upgraded power unit will not be added to the package until the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break.
Chief trackside officer Mike Krack played down expectations while speaking in the Hungaroring paddock on Thursday.
"No, it will not be a make-or-break weekend," he said. "I think we are all realistic. We have a plan and we work to that plan. Success and setbacks are part of sport.
"I think we have been in a difficult situation or difficult spot before, and we try to get out of it, but there are more steps needed. This is part of the development strategy, so I would not call it a make-or-break. It is just the development that needs to continue.
"We will have these regulations for a couple of years coming, and it's just one step in my opinion."
Krack added: "When you bring substantial upgrades, it's something that the track team will have to learn as quick as possible. We have no winter testing where you can just do some runs, some back-to-backs and all that. It puts a lot of emphasis on the quality of your data, on the quality of understanding your simulations.
"But we do not expect that we get everything out of it in the first run tomorrow. I think we need to learn how to manage this and how to get the best out of it. We have a good track team, we have a good support team from home that will go through that quickly and we will get the right conclusions quickly.
"But it will take a bit of time."
