Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has warned that Formula 1 "cannot continue this way" after being disappointed by how the current generation of cars is being held back on the challenging Madring circuit, the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix.
As much as Alonso was full of praise for the challenging 5.4km Madring track, which features several high-speed and high-commitment corners with little room for error, he felt the fearsome track was wasted on this generation of cars and their reliance on battery management.
"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," the two-time world champion 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.
"But 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."
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
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. And as his Aston Martin team is struggling with the lack of performance from its Honda engines, he and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem have had talks 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 comes 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.
Additional reporting by Cihangir Perperik
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