Alonso says F1 lost a decade of pure racing

Fernando Alonso says Formula 1’s planned move toward a 60-40 split in favor of combustion power for 2027 will not fix what he sees as a deeper problem with the hybrid era, arguing the sport has “lost nearly one decade or even more of pure racing” since 2014.

Speaking on Canadian Grand Prix media day, the Aston Martin driver dismissed the idea that the proposed change would fundamentally alter the character of the racing. Asked whether the adjustment solves the main issues, Alonso said: “Waiting. The DNA of these power units will always be the same. And it will always reward going slow in the corners. I don’t think [it will fundamentally change things].”

The FIA and Formula 1 have agreed in principle to shift the balance of future power units to 60-40 in favor of the internal combustion engine after earlier tweaks were introduced ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. The technical package is still being worked through, with discussions centered on increasing fuel flow and reducing electric power by 50 kilowatts.

Alonso said the governing body had listened to the concerns, but argued the bigger mistake was the direction F1 chose in the first place when the turbo-hybrid era began. “I mean, they always listen,” he said. “The thing is that the world went, or thought, to go into the electrification, and that was thought to be the future. That doesn’t apply to racing. Racing is a different animal. Now we go a little bit back to this 60-40 and then in the future to less and less.”

He framed that as a long-term loss for the series rather than a problem that can be solved by one ratio change. “Unfortunately, we have this period from 2014 with the turbo era, and now even more, that we lost a little bit, nearly one decade or even more, of pure racing,” Alonso said.

Alonso also argued that the current rules have changed the nature of overtaking itself. At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, he said the decisive moves now come “on the straights, when you have more battery than the others,” adding that “it will be very easy” and “it will not be overtaking, it's just an avoiding action.” He said that when rivals “clip,” they “reduce 500 horsepower,” leaving the following car with such a power advantage that the pass no longer feels earned in the traditional sense.

That criticism matters because the FIA’s next step is still not final. The 2027 plan remains subject to further approval, and with the details still under discussion, F1’s attempt to pull back from heavier electrical reliance has yet to answer Alonso’s central point that the concept itself, not just the balance, is what has changed the racing.