Photo: Race Pictures

F1's essence lost? Alonso's stark prediction of 2026 regulations

13:22, 22 Sep

1 Comments

byNorberto Mujica

Fernando Alonso has warned that the upcoming 2026 regulations will dial down the F1's driver impact even further.

Fernando Alonso suggestes F1 regulations have curtailed driver impact. Photo: RacePictures.

I miss the days that we had more freedom in the cockpit to change our parameters or change the performance of the car.

- Fernando Alonso

How has Formula 1 changed in the 20 seasons Fernando Alonso has raced in the pinnacle of motorsports? "A lot of things have changed in the sport, for sure.

"Technology has changed, power unit, the way we race now, the way we prepare the races and all the competitors as well, analysis of the competitors, which I think is the nature, again, and the DNA of the sport of Formula One, dictated by the car performance and you know set of regulations that are always better for some teams than others and these kinds of things.

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From Alonso's perspective, F1's regulations have scaled back the impact a driver can have during a race weekend, and states that in 2026 the issue will still be present.

"We need to wait and see how the cars perform and how difficult or easy they are to drive. But yeah, I miss the days that we had more freedom in the cockpit to change our parameters or change the performance of the car.

"In the past, we used to play a little bit with the revs on the engine, certain laps per weekend, we had the maximum power. Then the KERS was introduced. We had six seconds of freedom ourselves to play with that.

"So, we didn't use always in the same places that were optimal that was only used in qualifying. Then in the race you played different strategy just to be able to overtake or to defend from the cars behind

"I don't know if next year we will have any of those. For me it seems still a little bit too much automatic, so the car is in the straight line mode or maximum downforce mode automatically and the energy will be deployed more or less automatically as well as this year," he concluded.

The FIA 2026 Power Unit regulations still being fine-tuned

The FIA and OEM's still can't seem to agree on all the fine details pertaining to the power unit regulations with the power deployment ratios between the electric component and the internal combustion sides of the power units.

Drivers have also stated their reservations with regards to the upcoming engine regulations, claiming the power output is erratic and that the straight line speed declines in the middle of the straightaways.

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