Alonso to retire from F1 at the end of the current season

Fernando Alonso has announced that he will be retiring from Formula One at the end of the 2018 season. The Spaniard has not confirmed his future plans.

Alonso is enduring a second consecutive spell of a non-competitive car with McLaren. In 2017 as well, the team struggled for points. He was also allowed to race in last year's Indianapolis 500 which coincided with the Monaco GP. However, in 2018, he was not allowed to do the same.

Earlier this year, Alonso won the 24 hours of Le Mans on debut with Toyota. He is aiming for the 'triple crown' of motorsport, which involves winning the Monaco GP, Le Mans 24 Hours and Indianapolis 500. He has already won the Monaco GP twice.

At the end of 2018 season, he could surpass Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button in terms of all-time F1 GP starts. He is expected to end the year with 311 starts, only below Rubens Barrichello's 322. He has been in F1 for 17 years. He won the world championship in 2005 with Renault and became the youngest person to do so. The following year, he defeated Michael Schumacher to take another season victory.

Earlier this month, Daniel Ricciardo signed a two year deal with Renault for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Source: Autosport