Fernando Alonso is not fully convinced that Formula 1’s latest regulation tweaks will actually change much heading into the Miami Grand Prix.
The veteran driver believes the core issue with the current ruleset still sits deep in how the power units behave, not in small adjustments made during the season break.
F1 returned after a month-long pause, with the sport’s governing body using the gap to review the opening races and introduce changes aimed at encouraging more flat-out qualifying laps and reducing risky energy management tactics like lifting and coasting.
The updates also adjust how much electric energy drivers can recover during a lap, while increasing limits around so-called “super clipping” in an attempt to improve racing flow.
But Fernando Alonso, who has been one of the most consistent critics of the current era of regulations, made it clear that he doesn’t expect a dramatic shift in behaviour on track.
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Fernando Alonso On F1 Latest Regulations
Fernando Alonso said, “This power unit and this regulation will always reward going slower in the corners because you have more energy.”
The changes are designed to reduce unpopular energy-harvesting techniques and make qualifying feel more natural and aggressive.
However, Fernando Alonso is saying that these are surface-level fixes that won’t fully remove the underlying compromises drivers are forced to manage.
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He did acknowledge there could be minor improvements in how energy is deployed, saying, “Small tweaks can improve a little bit the clipping. But again, I’m not sure if we go back to Suzuka and race with the current rules, we will have more clipping from what I read in the last few weeks and what I heard today.”
He continued saying, “It was nice to be back in a prototype and to brake in the last moment. You don’t need to lift and coast or anything like that, and to go on the back straight and in the highest-speed corners at maximum speed.”
“Risking how brave you are to decide if you go faster or slower in the corners and not have it dictated by the power unit -it was nice to go.”
Across the paddock, the reaction has been mixed. While F1 leadership continues to defend the regulations, insisting the sport remains strong commercially and competitively, drivers like Alonso and Lance Stroll have openly questioned whether enough is being done to address long-standing concerns about race quality and driving feel.
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