Fernando Alonso has delivered a blunt assessment of Formula 1‘s current direction, rueing what he calls the loss of “pure racing.”
Alonso is one of F1’s longest-serving drivers, having started out in 2001 for Minardi, with spells at Renault, McLaren and Ferrari, and Aston Martin despite a brief time away from the sport.
His extended tenure makes Alonso the only driver on the grid to have raced across V10, V8 and V6 eras, seeing dramatic changes in the racing spectactle.
The 2026 rules have proven divisive, with increased electrification leading to concerns from Alonso in pre-season testing that the challenge of racing had gone.
The FIA introduced enhancements in Miami to address core issues, with a change to a 60/40 split in internal combustion planned for 2027.
However, Alonso made clear that he is waiting for the new proposed V8 era, planned for 2030 or 2031.
“Waiting,” he said.
“The DNA of these power units will always be the same, and they will always reward going slow in the corners.”
Fernando Alonso laments 2014 mistake
Alonso praised the FIA for listening to concerns over the regulations from drivers, but lamented the move to the previous era of 1.6 litre turbo hybrids in 2014.
“I mean, they always listen.
“The thing is that the world went, or thought it would go, into electrification, and that was considered to be the future.
“That doesn’t apply to racing, you know. Racing is a different animal, and now we go a little bit back to this 60/40 split, and then in the future to less and less [electrification].
“Unfortunately, we have had this period since 2014 with the turbo era, and now even more so, where we have lost nearly a decade — or even more — of pure racing.”
Alonso’s critique of the regulations indicates a driver who remains far from happy with the current situation in F1, longing for a return to a internal combustion dominated formula.
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