Fernando Alonso couldn't hide his frustration. In front of his home crowd, the Aston Martin driver launched a scathing critique of the current generation of F1 cars. For him, the new Madring circuit—host of the Spanish Grand Prix—is too special to be tainted by racing that is dictated by battery management rather than driver bravery.
"It is sad, in a way, with this generation of cars to come to a very nice circuit like this one, with challenges here and there, like La Monumental corner, Turn 12," Alonso said. "It cannot be that Michael [Alonso's PR] is faster than Max Verstappen if he has more battery, because Turn 12 is such an incredible corner that Max Verstappen has to be making the difference compared to Michael, and at the moment we can't."
The two-time world champion emphasized that racing should be about guts and skill, not who has more electrical charge left. "Formula 1 or motorsport in general should be that in Turn 12, if Michael is braver than me, he goes faster. If I have more attributes, I will go faster than him, that's how we should be qualifying. Now it's just [depending on] how much [battery charge] I have, I will go faster or slower."
F1 has been making moves to address those concerns, gradually shifting towards a 60-40 split between combustion power and electric energy with the most significant change coming for 2027. But Alonso is hopeful that F1 can push through its expected return to V8 engines earlier than 2031, the planned start of the next rules cycle. He has also held talks with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over what else can be done within the regulations to allow Honda to catch up.
Honda has already received additional concession under the so-called ADUO catch-up system for underperforming power unit manufacturers, but the system is widely agreed to be imperfect and set for further tweaks. "I did speak with him but I speak with Stefano [Domenicali, F1 boss] regularly every week, because Formula 1 cannot continue in this way," Alonso lamented. "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 whatever we can do."
Alonso's comments and talks with motorsport chiefs come against the backdrop of the 45-year-old publicly considering his future, although the Spaniard is widely expected to simply continue with Aston Martin in 2027. However, with the car still lacking performance, Alonso's push for regulatory change grows louder. He does not want his F1 legacy tarnished by an era that he believes sacrifices the essence of racing.
With the Madring circuit demanding courage, Alonso's restlessness mirrors that of many. F1 faces a difficult choice: maintain the technological direction or return racing to its purist roots. One thing is clear: Alonso will not stay silent.
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