Fernando Alonso has said that maintaining the motivation to remain in Formula 1 is a bigger determining factor than age when it comes to retirement.

Alonso is the oldest driver on the grid, celebrating his 42nd birthday on the Saturday of the Belgian Grand Prix.

That didn’t go to plan, the two-time world champion finding the gravel, though he recovered to score valuable points for Aston Martin in seventh in Sunday’s race.

“It’s not a big change, when you’re 41 or when you’re 25,” Alonso suggested.

“It’s more in your head, in the motivation, how you approach the weekend.

“The teams, they bet more on experience, like Daniel now in AlphaTauri and things like that,” he added.

“It’s not about youth, it’s just about going fast.”

Alonso has been reinvigorated since returning to F1 at the start of 2021, replacing Daniel Ricciardo when he headed to McLaren.

There, he played a crucial role in Esteban Ocon winning the Hungarian Grand Prix and looked comfortable as defacto team leader.

However, he shocked the F1 world in the days following the Hungarian Grand Prix a year later when, soon after the retirement of Sebastian Vettel at the end of last season, it was announced he would join Aston Martin.

It’s a move that has borne fruit, with six podiums already this season in a campaign that has exceeded expectations.

“We are P3 in the constructors’ championship, in front of Ferrari,” he observed.

“We are P3 in the drivers’ championship, together with Lewis [Hamilton].

“It was impossible to think this way in Bahrain.”

Meanwhile, his former team is in turmoil, with Alpine having parted ways with Otmar Szafnauer, Alan Permane, and Pat Fry.

“Obviously you never know that,” he smiled when asked if, looking back, leaving Alpine when he did was the right call.

“It will be nice to have a crystal ball and, before you make a decision in switching teams, you know the future.

“At the end, I’m happy where I am, and there is a project here into the future, and I’m very proud.”