Aston Martin has extended drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll through 2027.
Aston Martin is banking on continuity as its driving factor next season.
As expected, the Silverstone-based team has extended the contracts of its current drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, for 2027. In their official website announcement, Aston Martin's decision allows them to "fully focus on its development path", as they already have a "deep-rooted" working relationship with their drivers.
Prior to this announcement, Alonso already assured everyone that he'll stay in Formula 1, whether he's driving a car or not. The Spaniard, who will turn 46 years of age in 2027, gave us a hint that he's here to stay. It was only a matter of time before he renewed his commitment to Aston Martin.
How successful is the Alonso-Stroll pairing so far?
2027 will mark the fifth year of the partnership between Alonso and Stroll. Interestingly, their most productive season was their first year together in 2023. They started that year with a lot of success, highlighted by Alonso's five podium finishes in the first six races. The two-time World Champion would even finish P2 thrice that year, in Monaco, Canada, and Zandvoort.
Alonso and Stroll combined for 280 points in 2023, but the car's performance would steadily regress in the following years. Here's a quick snapshot of their downward spiral:
- 2023: 280 points
- 2024: 94
- 2025: 89
- 2026 (through 15 races): 3
The new regulations this year have been very frustrating for the two drivers and, frankly, for the whole team as well. It's difficult to judge the two drivers based on this year alone. To be fair, they did well in 2023, when they had a decent car underneath.
So far, though, Stroll hasn't been on par with his teammate. Even during their good year in '23, Stroll only scored 74 points, compared to Alonso's 206. This year, the Canadian driver hasn't finished in the points and has DNF'd 10 times, including in the last four races.
Car development is their main target
With their car in shambles, it's understandable why Aston Martin is opting for continuity in their driver lineup. They need as much status quo as they can get, especially now that they're figuring out what's wrong with their car.
During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the team had to make do with a combined 45-place engine penalty for exceeding the allocation for their power unit components. Both drivers had to DNF again, so expect more of these in the remaining races this year.
