Aston Martin Formula 1 boss Mike Krack has admitted he was “not convinced” Fernando Alonso would remain with the team prior to the news that he had renewed.
Aston Martin announced earlier this month that Alonso has penned a new multi-year extension to ensure that their partnership will continue through 2026 at least.
Alonso had conceded that he was contemplating whether he wanted to commit his schedule to the series amid concerns over its exponential growth to 24 rounds.
However, the Spaniard has elected to sign a contract that will see him compete as Aston Martin partners with Honda to tackle F1’s upcoming regulation overhaul.
Asked whether the Silverstone-based squad had been convinced that Alonso would extend in the previous months, Krack told Autosport: “No, I was not convinced.
“Fernando was very clear when he joined that the calendar and the travel is draining a lot of energy, especially if you want to do things the way he does them.
“There is no 99%. And that is why, with the calendar like it is, it takes everything out of you. And I think he has said it many times: that there is no life. Either you are 100% in it or not.
“When you see how he is working, when he’s there, how he is interacting, you see there is only 100% for him. And you understand also that when he says there is no life around that, it is true.
“So considering that I had some concerns that he was going to say: ‘no, I want to do something else in life’, I was very happy to see that he loves F1 more than private life.”
Alonso had expressed on the eve of the campaign that he intended to hold discussions with Aston Martin first and foremost provided he chose to prolong his career.
Despite Alonso revealing that he had tentative discussions with rival teams, Krack has commended the two-time F1 champion for remaining true to his earlier words.
“Fernando is a man of his word,” Krack added. “He told us that what he communicated to the outside was the same as what he communicated to the inside.
“He said: ‘I need to discuss first with myself, and I need to decide if I want to continue. Then, if I want to continue, I want to discuss first with Aston Martin.’
“This is what happened. And we’re quite happy that it ended the way it did.”
Krack has revealed that Aston Martin is also preparing to discuss a new deal with the incumbent Lance Stroll in the “next few weeks” to remain alongside Alonso.
