Speaking in Wednesday’s press conference alongside Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who last week claimed F1’s new rules were “anti-racing” and “Formula E on steroids,” Alonso expressed concern that energy management will be prioritised ahead of all-out racing.

When asked whether drivers were still pushing to the limit under new regulations, which introduce a 50/50 split between electrical power and internal combustion, Alonso said they are, but added that drivers would find the limit even if they were in a rental car.

“You're always on the limit on the grip. It depends on the corners. You're always on the limit on the grip in a rental car if you push to the limit,” Alonso said to media, including GPblog.

"But the high-speed corners, especially, I think it's less challenging. You have to say that. There's nothing wrong to say [that].

Alonso explained the need for energy management means drivers have to slow down more than they normally would at corners in order to achieve faster lap times overall, which he believes means “skills matter less.”

"From a driver's point of view the skills matter less because you can go as fast as the energy choice you make before that corner, so it's a different Formula 1."

Speaking next to Alonso was Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who was more positive towards the 2026 regulations despite having called them "ridiculously complex" in Bahrain last week.

In fact, Hamilton said it was an "exciting time" with a new generation of cars, and explained that he is in the "best place I’ve been in a long, long time, and that he feels "more connected" to his SF-26 than the previous ground effect era cars.