Fernando Alonso has delivered a damning takedown of Formula 1‘s regulations, stating that the sport “cannot wait until 2031 to have a proper sport” again.
The Spaniard has been one of the more vocal opposers of the regulations reset, which was introduced at the start of this season, the cornerstone of which has been all-new near 50/50 hybridd V6 power units.
With the joint nature of the engines requiring battery deployment and harvesting, many negative assessments have been delivered from various circles about the style of racing it produces.
Alonso was one of the first to publicly damn the ruleset in pre-season testing, and many have questioned whether his displeasure at the sport’s current direction might hasten a potential second retirement.
Speaking after exiting Q1 for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Alonso intimated that the challening new Madring circuit has arrived at the worst possible time, theorising a different iteration of car would stand to produce better entertaining.
“It is sad, you know, in a way, with this generation of cars to come to a very nice circuit like this one, you know, with challenges here and there, like La Monumental corner, 10-12, and the driver input is just nothing,” he assessed to media, including Motorsport Week, before using his press officer to illustrate his point.
“Michael can drive in 10-12,” he joked. “You go flat with no [MGU-] K deployment, and then at one point, the ‘K’ comes and then you go fast on the exits.
“But Formula 1 or motorsport in general should be in 10-12. If Michael is braver than me, he goes faster. If I have, you know, more attributes, I will go faster than him.
“That’s how he should be qualifying. And now it’s just how much sock I have, I will go faster or slower.”
Fernando Alonso: F1 ‘cannot continue in this way’
The Race has reported over the Madring weekend that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is considering particular concessions within the regulations to entice Alonso into staying in the sport.
But when asked about this, Alonso broadened his position, revealing he regularly speaks to both Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali about his views on the sport’s current state, opining that he has “responsibility” to work towards improvements.
“I don’t know. I mean, I have a lot of things to go through already, you know, to try to make my mind for next year,” he said, when asked about whether his future may or may not be determined by this. “And I did speak with him [Ben Sulayem], but I speak with Stefano regularly every week because Formula 1 cannot continue in this way.
“We have to, we cannot wait for 2031 to have a proper sport. So, I think it’s also my responsibility to help them with my experience to make, you know, whatever we can do to do these kind of things.
“[Turns] 10-12, you know, whoever is faster there, it’s OK – [but] it cannot be. I don’t want to pick a name, it cannot be Michael faster than Max Verstappen if he has more battery, because 10-12 is such an incredible corner that it has to be, you know, Max Verstappen making the difference compared to Michael.
“And at the moment, we can’t.”
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