Ralf Schumacher identifies what Fernando Alonso has ‘lost’ at the start of this season, ‘might have cost him…’

It’s not been the start to the 2025 Formula 1 season that Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso would have dreamed of.

The Chinese Grand Prix was Fernando Alonso’s 406th Grand Prix entry which is a significant number for two reasons.

Firstly, it means that the Aston Martin driver continues to stretch his record of most Formula 1 races entered by a single driver, with Lewis Hamilton unable to start closing the gap until the 43-year-old Spaniard retires.

Additionally, it means that Alonso has now completed exactly half of his Formula 1 career without adding another win to his tally, securing all 32 of his Grand Prix victories in the first 203 races he took part in.

Aston Martin can’t completely take the blame for that, with two seasons at Alpine and a disastrous spell at McLaren also partially responsible.

However, this year couldn’t have gone worse for Alonso after back-to-back DNFs in Australia and China.

Alonso was seen consoling Gabriel Bortoleto after both drivers failed to score points in Shanghai, but what’s even more frustrating is that teammate Lance Stroll has secured two top-10 finishes already this year.

Ralf Schumacher has been discussing his performances this year and is worried Alonso has ‘lost’ something on the winter break, which could signal that he should be considering his F1 future sooner rather than later.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Ralf Schumacher wonders if Fernando Alonso has lost some ‘courage’ this season

Talking on the Formel1.de YouTube channel after the opening double-header of the season, Alonso was on the agenda for Schumacher.

He was asked if Alonso is now past his peak and replied: “There are now two possibilities and I want to see the positive side, that Lance Stroll has simply developed a bit.

“The other thing I think is that Fernando Alonso has lost a bit of courage and the drive that he had at the beginning, because of course, he can’t fight for the top places, and that might have cost him a bit of time.

“In his case, on the other hand, he’s actually doing well in the race; it wasn’t his fault [the brake failure in China].

“It was strange in Melbourne why he was suddenly driving differently than usual, so from that point of view, it looks like this at the moment, but I’m sure that when the car takes a step forward, he’ll be back, so you shouldn’t underestimate him.”

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Fernando Alonso looking for one last chance to add to his world championship tally

Aston Martin haven’t looked like a competitive outfit since the start of the 2023 season.

Alonso was Red Bull’s closest challenger, and his eight podium finishes that year suggest that the Silverstone-based team know how to build a decent car.

However, Aston Martin’s inability to develop meaningful update packages have hampered the team over the past two years and seen them slip into the midfield.

Alonso is expected to retire at the end of the 2026 season, meaning next year could be his final opportunity to win a world championship, nearly two decades after his previous success.

That puts additional pressure on the likes of Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile to nail the 2026 Formula 1 regulations.