Alonso Brands 2026 Formula 1 Cars The Worst He Has Ever Driven At Monaco

Fernando Alonso delivered a scathing verdict on Formula 1’s 2026 machinery after Friday practice at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Aston Martin driver has been one of the loudest critics of the new regulations since first testing the AMR26 earlier this season.
Alonso has repeatedly complained that high-speed corners no longer present a proper challenge, as drivers are forced to lift off due to energy management requirements built into the new rules.
Monaco, traditionally a circuit where energy saving is less of a concern, has not spared drivers from those same frustrations, as Alonso was quick to highlight after Friday’s running.
“This is probably the worst generation of cars I ever drove in Monaco,” he lamented, leaving little doubt about how he feels regarding the current technical era.
The Spaniard pointed specifically to the unpredictable nature of the hybrid system, explaining how battery charge levels create an inconsistent driving experience that is difficult to manage lap to lap.
“The way you charge the battery, with the braking and lifting off and things like that, obviously creates a lot of inconsistency into the engine braking of the car,” he said.
“If the battery is completely full, then you don’t recharge because the battery is full. So you don’t have engine braking. It’s like pushing.”
Alonso finished his assessment with a blunt conclusion, stating: “It’s just the rules. Hybrid cars should not be racing. It’s as simple as that.”
His frustration was further compounded by Aston Martin’s specific mechanical struggles, with the AMR26 suffering from what Alonso described as “random downshifts” that caught him out during Free Practice 1.
He lost control on the approach to the chicane during that session and tapped the wall, underlining just how unpredictable the car has been around the streets of the principality.
“Now, we harvest a lot during braking,” he explained. “The rear axle is just charging the battery massively on the braking. And then you have these downshifts that you need to interact with the engine blip to engage the next gear.”
Alonso added: “There are a lot of things going on this year and it seems that we are not at the level yet.”
Beyond the hybrid driveability issues, Alonso also flagged “chronic understeer” as a persistent problem that set-up changes over the course of Friday had failed to resolve.
The team’s pace deficit on the timesheet made for uncomfortable reading, with Cadillac finishing 0.178 seconds quicker and Racing Bulls enjoying a margin of 0.546 seconds over Aston Martin at the end of the day.
Those numbers are particularly damaging at Monaco, the shortest and slowest circuit on the calendar, where gaps of that size signal serious underlying problems rather than simple fine-tuning issues.
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