Alonso warns driver skill ‘matters less’ under 2026 F1 rules
Photo: Race Pictures
19:55, 18 Feb
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Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Fernando Alonso has said driver skill “matters less” after F1’s 2026 regulation overhaul, despite still being “always on the limit” in terms of grip.
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.
Drivers' skill "matters less" in 2026, says Alonso
Photo: Race Pictures
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.
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“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.”
"In Turn 12 in Bahrain, and some of the corners maybe in Barcelona, you decide to save energy and go through the corner at a slower speed so you have more energy for the straight.
"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."
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Hamilton reveals why Ferrari’s SF-26 feels worlds apart from last year’s car
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.
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