Alonso blunt: “These are the worst F1 cars I’ve ever driven at Monaco. Hybrid cars shouldn’t race”
When expectations are high but reality brings you crashing back down to earth, remaining calm, focused and patient becomes an enormous challenge. Fernando Alonso knows that feeling all too well. The Spaniard has suddenly found himself in a situation that, in some ways, resembles the frustration he experienced during his second spell with McLaren.
After the opening five Grands Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Aston Martin Racing finds itself at the back of the grid alongside newcomer Cadillac. Unfortunately for the Silverstone-based team, the first European round of the year in Monaco has done little to improve the outlook.
Following the opening practice sessions in the Principality, Fernando Alonso returned to a topic he has often discussed in recent years: the current generation of Formula 1 cars. The two-time World Champion appeared visibly frustrated after another difficult day shared with teammates Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas in the Aston Martin AMR26.
“I don’t think Monaco is the best circuit for these cars. I think this is the worst generation of cars I’ve ever driven around this track,” the Asturian declared.
“I don’t know if it’s the best track for the worst generation. I mean, it’s just… the way you recharge the batteries by braking and lifting off the throttle, things like that. All of this creates a lot of inconsistency in the car’s engine braking. Sometimes you have less of it, sometimes you have propulsion and other times you don’t.”
The 45-year-old then went even further, making it clear that his criticism extended beyond Aston Martin’s current struggles.
“If the battery is completely full, then you stop harvesting because the battery is full. So you don’t have engine braking anymore. It’s like having propulsion. The rules are the rules. Hybrid cars shouldn’t race. It’s very simple.”
Understeer, energy harvesting and gear changes causing problems in Monaco
After his sharp criticism of modern Formula 1 machinery, Fernando Alonso also attempted to explain what is currently holding Aston Martin and the AMR26 back. The team’s cars, running a rather unusual livery this weekend, have been plagued by persistent mid-corner understeer that remains difficult to eliminate despite numerous setup changes.
“As far as we’re concerned, the problems are pretty much everywhere. Regarding grip, we’re not happy with the front axle. We lose a lot of front-end grip in the middle of the corner. It seems the AMR26 has this chronic understeer and we can’t solve the problem.”
“We’ve tried a couple of setup changes. We made some more adjustments overnight and we hope we’ve improved the situation. But at the moment this is a fairly complex issue for us.”
Making matters even more complicated is the interaction between energy harvesting and gear changes, both on upshifts and downshifts. According to Fernando Alonso, the lack of consistency in these areas makes it difficult to attack Monaco’s corners with confidence.
“In addition, gear changes and the level of harvesting through the corners in Monaco are crucial if you want to be precise and have confidence in the car. At the moment everything is too inconsistent. The way the car downshifts and the speed at which we approach the corners. All of this makes the car difficult to drive.”
He then explained in greater detail how the current hybrid systems are affecting the behaviour of the car under braking.
“Right now we recover a lot of energy during braking. The rear axle is charging the battery massively under braking. Then there are these downshifts, where you have to coordinate with the engine blip to engage the next gear. There are many things happening this year and it feels like we’re still not at the level we need to be.”
Leave a Reply