Alonso laments lost ‘creativity’ and ‘freedom’ with 2026 cars

Fernando Alonso believes that the 2026 Formula 1 season will be boring from a technological standpoint, with cars across the grid looking the same.

F1 have scheduled the next swathe of regulation tweaks for the 2026 season, with the largest goal of improving on-track action and seeing more overtakes during races.

Cars across the grid are expected to be up to 30 kilograms lighter, with active aerodynamics and a so-called “Manual Override Mode” promoting closer battles and position changes up and down the field.

However, current drivers have already expressed concerns with the technical updates. While testing the 2026 car on the simulator, some complained of poor stability at high speeds which resulted in a loss of control on the straights. Furthermore, Lando Norris is worried that another major rule change will spread out the field and lead to a single dominant team once again, as Red Bull demonstrated in 2022.

Alonso, who recently signed a contract extension with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team until the end of 2026, is worried about the rule changes for a different reason.

It’s the nature of F1

Speaking to Diario AS, Alonso admitted that he is interested to experience the next regulation set. He said: “I planned to do those two years and see how things went with the 2022 regulations.

“I felt very good in 2021 and 2022, so I renewed for 2023. That went exceptionally well and now in 2024 I am still strong and motivated, and I am curious now to test the 2026 cars,” explained Alonso.

Nevertheless, the veteran Spaniard is concerned that a recent trend in F1 will continue into 2026. He continued: “What I would like would be more design freedom, as all cars today are very similar to each other.

“There is little inventiveness… When I was a kid, F1 cars were very different.”

“One had a high nose, one had a low nose, another had six wheels. Now that creativity has been lost and I would like to see more of it,” added the Aston Martin driver.

Alonso doesn’t share the same unease regarding stability and competitiveness that his fellow drivers have made public in the last few weeks. He continued: “I don’t think it’s a radical change.

“It is going to be sold like that, because F1 sells the idea that every four or five years, it totally reinvents itself. But in truth, F1 is always very similar.

“I don’t think the racing, the weekends or the competitiveness of the cars will be revolutionised.”

For now, Alonso’s focus remains on the current season, where he will be racing at his home Grand Prix in Spain on Sunday 23 June.

Feature Image Credit: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images