Fernando Alonso believes that Formula 1 has ‘lost more than a decade of pure racing’. The Spaniard regrets the disappearance of what he calls ‘pure racing’, which coincided with the start of the hybrid era in 2014. ‘The point is that the world then focused on electrification, or thought it would, and that was seen as the future,’ Alonso explains.
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Fernando Alonso, at 44 years old, is the most experienced driver on the current grid. The Spaniard made his debut in 2001, for Minardi, and is therefore the only driver in the current field to have raced with V10, V8, and V6 engines. Earlier this season, Alonso was also critical of the current generation of ‘slow’ F1 cars. “In Bahrain, we go fifty kilometers per hour slower through turn twelve than we used to,” the two-time world champion explained at the time.
Although the FIA has since implemented rule changes, Alonso prefers to wait for the governing body’s plans regarding the return of V8 engines. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem previously confirmed the return of the engines, in ‘2030 or 2031’. “It’s in the DNA of the current power units that they reward you as a driver if you go slowly through the corners,” Alonso criticized the 2026 engines, speaking to the media in Canada.
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‘A decade of pure racing lost’
Although the Spaniard is glad that the FIA is listening to the drivers with the announced plans, he regrets the loss of ‘pure racing’ since the switch to the 1.6-liter turbo hybrids in 2014. “The point is that the world then focused on electrification, or thought it would, and that was seen as the future,” Alonso explains. “That doesn’t apply to racing, you know. Racing is a very different story, and now we’re going a bit back to this 60/40 split, and in the future to less and less electrification.”
“Unfortunately, since 2014 we have had this period with the turbo era, and now even more, in which we have lost almost a decade – or even more – of pure racing,” concludes the Aston Martin driver.
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