Alonso is enjoying his best season for a decade, picking up seven podiums so far with his shock move from Alpine to Aston Martin paying off brilliantly.

Even at the age of 42, the two-time champion looks as sharp as ever behind the wheel and is still regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid.

He is contracted to Aston Martin until the end of 2024, but rumors have been circulating over the past week that the Spaniard could make a sensational switch to champions Red Bull in the future.

The move would see him trade places with the under-pressure Sergio Perez, who would be returning to the team that controversially axed him in 2020 and threatened to end his F1 career.

But it would be very, very unlikely that Red Bull would entertain the prospect of signing Alonso as it would no doubt cause friction with star driver and reigning champion Max Verstappen.

It would be more likely that Alonso will extend his contract with his current team, and he suggested as much following last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, telling Fox Sports: ‘I like being competitive, I like being fast and I hate to lose.

‘So you see it’s not very hard to motivate me once I’m inside the car. Maybe now I’m a bit weaker than when I was 20 years old, but when you age you know your body way better.

‘You know which training to do, when you feel tired, what things to avoid, and that is how you make up for it. You make up for strength with wisdom.

‘For now no, [I am not thinking of retirement]. I know I’m in the closing side of my career, but for now, I don’t see it. I don’t have a date to put an end to my career.’

Unfortunately for Alonso, Aston Martin’s drastic drop in pace in the second-half of 2023 have seen him slip down the standings to fifth and it is very possible he could fall further to seventh in the last three races of the year.

Aston Martin, who started the season as the second-best team, have dropped to fifth, and while they are only 20 points off the resurgent McLaren, Alonso has admitted defeat in that battle.

‘Honestly, we are not fighting for anything. We will learn, even if we have to start from the pitlane, and you know that is more useful than just spending the weekend,’ he told Autosport.

‘In the constructors’ championship, we are locked in in the position we are. In the driver’s championship, we will lose a couple of places.

‘But I mean, it is incredible that we are in front of Ferraris, or George [Russell] or Lando [Norris] or whatever, but we will lose those positions. They have a very fast car. And yet, let’s see what we can do.’

The F1 season continues this weekend with the Brazilian Grand Prix, which will feature the last Sprint race of the season.