Alonso’s idea to ‘save’ F1 before the V8 return – and how realistic it is

With almost all of the big names locked in for next year, only a few questions remain over the driver market: will Racing Bulls keep its line-up intact, will Haas indeed part ways with Esteban Ocon (as everyone expects after the Baku media day), and will Fernando Alonso stay on for another year?

The answer to that final question is most likely ‘yes’, although he said in Madrid that an announcement would not be coming anytime soon. The two-time F1 world champion was somewhat cryptic about what it would take to keep him. He made clear that the regulations and how enjoyable F1 is behind the wheel are more important than the competitive picture at Aston Martin and Honda.

But those very things have become rather intertwined in the days since. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said that he does not want Alonso to retire from F1 like this and that he wants to do everything within his power to help Aston Martin and Honda.

That, however, is about the competitive picture and not primarily the point Alonso has frequently spoken out about: the regulations. Moreover, it seemed like an easy way to score points by showing Alonso some love while F1 was in the Spanish capital. It came by hinting at changes that everyone in the paddock already expects anyway. Almost everyone agrees that the ADUO system – the Additional Upgrade and Development Opportunities – is currently not working as originally intended, meaning an adjustment in that area would not only benefit Honda, but F1 as a whole.

And so the question remains what it would really take to keep Alonso in F1 for another year. With precisely that question in mind, I went to Wednesday’s media session in the Baku paddock, looking to clarify his comments from Madrid and prevent the two things – what Alonso says about the regulations and Ben Sulayem’s words – from becoming further intertwined.

The answer that followed lasted exactly three and a half minutes – normally the sort of answer length only Lando Norris is capable of.

Alonso explains what he wants from F1, as well as offering his own solution...

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

“Obviously, I grew up in a different sport in general and I still drive a lot of different series now, from karting to rally cars,” Alonso began. “I drove the Valkyrie back in June at Paul Ricard and I drove some old Formula 1 cars in September in Barcelona. I'm very active between the races.”

According to Alonso, all those activities have one thing in common: in every case, the driver behind the wheel is rewarded the more he approaches the limit and takes risks.

“In every single car that I drive, it feels natural for me to go fast. You brake later, you go throttle earlier, you take more risks and you learn in the process. It's educating. Every lap, you go faster and faster because you know the car better and you know the limits better. It's pure instinct of driving.”

And that is precisely what is missing from the current F1, meaning some of the most talented drivers can no longer fully exploit their abilities and can no longer make the difference.

"There is no other series in motorsport that you need to drive slow to go fast" Fernando Alonso

“With the current regulations, it's not happening like that. You just need to think a lot before you drive because everything is programmed and set by the regs, set by the engineers and set by the simulations. So there’s a lot less fun to drive these cars.”

As Alonso rightly points out, that puts the current F1 cars at odds with every other championship, including the junior categories that are supposed to prepare drivers for an F1 career.

“I think we all come from junior formulas, from karting, Formula 3, Formula 2. There we drive with this driver instinct to go fast, attacking the corners and taking risks. And then you get to Formula 1 and you need to rewind a little bit what you learned in the last 20 years of your career, and you need to use a different method. That is only happening in Formula 1. There is no other series in motorsport that you need to drive slow to go fast.”

F1 has lost connection to what drivers learn and what makes them excel in junior categories, according to Alonso

Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images

The latter is what Alonso has been stressing all year, from the opening race in Australia to the iconic corners of Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps that had become little more than “charging stations”.

Formula One Management continues to stress, based on its own ‘fan data’, that a majority of TV viewers think the show is fantastic, but those who understand what is actually happening know that Alonso is right and that it essentially goes against everything motor racing should be about.

And that is precisely where Alonso’s biggest frustration lies. Will that frustration lead him to stop at the end of this year? No, most likely not. Even within Aston Martin, team members expect him to still be driving an Adrian Newey-designed car next year, but the experienced Spaniard can play the political game for now.

By not publicly committing to 2027 yet, he can apply pressure on the governing bodies to improve F1 as a whole – similar to what Max Verstappen did earlier this year.

“And as I said in Madrid, that's part of my responsibility as well,” Alonso replied. “I drove long enough here [to know what F1 needs]. Next year, there is a change already with the 60-40 ratio. I think that will improve things, but maybe there are more things that we need to think about to improve it.

“I think there is still some scope to learn more and to have a better sport next year. Those were my comments in Madrid, in Australia, in Barcelona and every single race. And that's my conversation that is ongoing with Stefano, Mohammed or the team in general.”

Alonso has his own ideas on how to improve F1

Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images

The most interesting part of Alonso’s media session in Baku was that afterwards he also offered a concrete proposal, or at least a possible improvement. Saying that the current situation is not good is one thing, but putting forward a concrete proposal to make it better is the next step.

“For me, I think maybe reducing the peak power of the battery for longer periods [works]”, Alonso suggested. “You will have an increasing speed rate throughout the straight. Now we have a very fast acceleration and then it’s going down.

“And then you attack the corner in a weird way because you are lifting and coasting for the last 200 metres. I think if you have less power for longer, the speed trace will look like a race car. You get to the corner at your top speed and not hit the top speed in the middle of the straight. Maybe that's something. I don't know, I don't have all the information, but we need to trust the sport in general.”

Anyone who considers how much wrangling it took to reach agreement on the changes for 2027 and 2028 in the first place will know that implementing further changes can be extremely complex

That suggestion actually makes some sense. It obviously does not remove the fundamental problem with the current regulations, but it could make things feel somewhat more natural before the prospect of a V8 looms for 2030. In essence, Alonso wants drivers to have less electric power available on corner exit, meaning acceleration would be slower – it is extremely rapid at present – but drivers would only reach their top speed at the end of a straight.

That is not only about creating a more natural speed profile, but above all about making the braking zones and corners more challenging again. In that way, drivers who are late on the brakes could make a difference again, an ability that has been almost completely negated in 2026. The real solution can only come in 2030, but in theory this could serve as a stopgap to bring back some of the basics of racing.

It sounds like a commendable proposal and something purists would support, but at the same time F1 is highly political. Anyone who considers how much wrangling it took to reach agreement on the changes for 2027 and 2028 in the first place will know that implementing further changes can be extremely complex, something the FIA also confirmed when asked on Wednesday. It may be possible for 2028, but with things as they currently stand, changes before the start of next season appear difficult.

Getting changes approved for 2027 will be a tall order

Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images

So yes, the purist in Alonso is undeniably right. And yes, ahead of the major step in 2030 or 2031, it would be good to explore every possible way of making the racing more natural again. This appears to be one of them, an option coming directly from the most experienced driver on the grid, and one that is supported by the likes of Verstappen. But in F1, common sense, or what would be best for the series as a whole, does not always prevail.

Either way, following Verstappen’s example, Alonso is currently using his position to keep up the pressure. Alonso staying for another year to have a more fitting farewell and further changes for 2027 would represent a win-win scenario, but for now the most likely outcome appears to be that only one of those things will become reality – and it is not another change to the regulations…

Will changes to F1 be enough to tempt Alonso to stay?

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images