Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin-Honda): “The world has changed quite a bit”

It’s hard to believe it’s really been 20 years already: Fernando Alonso secured his second World Championship title exactly two decades ago to the day, on 22 October 2006. The Spaniard says: “Back then, I would never have dreamed that so many years later I’d still be a Grand Prix driver.”

Alonso is the only driver on the grid to have competed in F1 World Championship races with a wide variety of engines: V10 engines, V8 engines, the first power units with energy recovery, then, since 2016, V6 turbo engines with hybrid technology, right up to the 2026 power units, which generate almost half their power electrically.

In 2030, FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem wants to bring back V8 engines; it’s hard to imagine that Alonso will still be behind the wheel of a GP car by then.

Today, the 32-time Grand Prix winner says: “The world has changed quite a lot. The racing cars from 20 years ago were an absolute blast. They were very light, very loud, but perhaps this kind of technology no longer fits into today’s world.”

“We used to change engines all the time back then! When I started out, we had one engine for Friday’s practice sessions, then one for Saturday – with just 12 laps in qualifying – and then another engine for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Is that still possible in today’s world? Probably not.”

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“I suppose we have to adapt to the way things are going in the world, and perhaps hybrid systems are the way forward. We just need to find the right balance, both in terms of the internal combustion engine and the electric system, in terms of how much we need to rely on the electric side.”

Fernando Alonso: Harsh criticism of modern Formula 1

Alonso – like Max Verstappen – has not held back with his criticism of the 2026 engines. At the end of July, Aston Martin superstar Fernando Alonso even spoke like a driver who was seriously considering retirement. “I feel fresh, motivated and fast. But I also need to enjoy my work, and – quite honestly – driving at Silverstone and Spa wasn’t any fun.”

“We should always be making our sport better, but for me behind the wheel – and for many spectators too – this is a Formula 1 that isn’t enjoyable. Lately, I haven’t felt the same adrenaline behind the wheel as I used to.”

At the Madring, the 2005 and 2006 Formula 1 champion mocked the World Championship as the “Battery World Championship”. “It’s in the nature of these power units that you have to recharge the battery in fast corners or at the end of straights, because that’s when it’s most efficient. But those are precisely the places that a racer enjoys, or where a good driver makes the difference. That goes against the nature of a racer, or against the instinct to push the limits of his car.”

Following qualifying at the new Madring Formula 1 circuit, the 45-year-old Asturian is disillusioned: “It’s sad that you arrive at a new, exciting circuit with really challenging corners like the Monumental – and then, with these cars, the driver’s contribution is zero.”

“Our media representative could drive the Monumental. But that’s not the motorsport I want. I want a Formula 1 in which skill and courage are rewarded. Now my speed depends solely on how much juice is left in the battery.”

“It can’t be right that just anyone is faster than Max Verstappen on a high-risk section like turns 10 to 12 here, simply because they have more battery power. On a section like that, an above-average driver should be able to make the difference. But we can’t do that at the moment.”

In Baku, the 2005 and 2006 world champion added: “There’s no other racing category in the world where you have to slow down in certain sections in order to be faster at the end of the lap.”

“We race on magnificent circuits, such as Silverstone. But driving these cars there isn’t fun any more. Fun? A classic. Now it’s almost embarrassing to drive through Eau Rouge. The 130R at Suzuka? A thing of the past. That’s how we’re killing off all the classic circuits.”

“We drivers have honed our skills over the years. Then you come into Formula 1 and have to drive in a completely different way. That only happens with these racing cars.”