The situation with Aston Martin and Honda is not the only concern for Fernando Alonso regarding his stay in Formula 1 in 2027. The Spaniard also sees problems in the championship itself and made it clear that he is already talking with Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F1, about the future of the category.
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The two-time world champion is facing a difficult moment with Aston Martin in 2026 and, during the Spanish GP, rumors arose that Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA (International Automobile Federation), was trying to help Honda reach a higher level of competitiveness and would also consider Alonso’s situation “unacceptable” before the Spaniard’s home race.
Asked about this movement, Alonso said he had not spoken with Ben Sulayem, but maintains frequent contact with Domenicali: “I don’t know, I mean, I already have many things to analyze to try to decide for next year,” Alonso told the media when asked about his response to Ben Sulayem’s efforts.
“I haven’t spoken with him, but I talk to Stefano [Domenicali] regularly every week because Formula 1 can’t continue like this. We can’t wait until 2031 to have a proper sport, so I think it’s my responsibility to help them with my experience to [do what we can] to improve this kind of thing.
Alonso’s main criticism is related to the characteristics of the 2026 cars. The Spaniard believes that high-speed corners have lost some importance for the driver because they have become like “recharging stations” for the batteries, which now represent 50% of the total power produced by the engine:
“Turn 12, whoever is faster there — I don’t want to name anyone, but it can’t be Michael [Clayton, Aston Martin press officer], faster than Max Verstappen if he has more battery, because Turn 12 is such an incredible corner that it has to be Max Verstappen making the difference compared to Michael, and at the moment, we can’t.”
Alonso considers that the situation removes precisely one of the elements that should differentiate the drivers: “It’s sad, in a way, with this generation of cars, to come to a very beautiful circuit like this, with challenges here like La Monumental, and the driver’s contribution simply being nothing,” he said.
“Michael can drive through Turn 12 because you go flat out without kinetic deployment. The moment the kinetic kicks in, then you go fast on the exit, but in Formula 1 or motorsport, it should be that in Turn 12, if Michael is braver than me, he goes faster. If I have more attributes, then I go faster than him. That’s how it should be in qualifying, and now it’s just about how much charge I have, and I go faster or slower,” Alonso concluded.
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