Fernando Alonso responds to FIA president with blunt ‘proper sport’ F1 warning

Fernando Alonso has warned Formula 1 cannot wait until 2031 to fix its current problems, insisting the sport needs to become a “proper sport” much sooner.

His comments were in response to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem saying he wants to speak with the Spaniard about the regulations, in an attempt to convince him not to quit at the end of F1 2026.

Fernando Alonso calls for quicker Formula 1 fix

Alonso has yet to decide whether he will continue with Aston Martin next season, with his decision resting on Formula 1’s engine regulations.

Alonso has been outspoken in his criticism of the sport’s new engine regulations, which put greater emphasis on electrical energy with a near-50/50 split with the internal combustion engine.

The Spaniard complained after the Sprint at the British Grand Prix that super clipping and energy harvesting mean there “is not any driver input or driver talent needed to overtake a car in front of you.

“You don’t need to outbrake anyone, you don’t need to overtake on the outside, you don’t need to take any risk.”

But while Alonso says F1’s engine plans for 2027 will play a big role in his decision on whether to continue, the situation has not been helped by Honda’s struggles.

Aston Martin’s new engine partner has found itself lagging behind rival power unit manufacturers in both of this season’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities [ADUO] findings. Honda’s ICE, according to the FIA’s measurements, was more than four per cent behind.

Ben Sulayem told the New Economy Forum in Spain that he wants to help Honda, as he wants to persuade Alonso to continue in F1 2027.

“There is no way we can allow Fernando to leave,” he said, “Alonso, a great champion, to leave just because of the circumstances. That’s not the way to leave the stage.”

The FIA president, who has promised to reintroduce V8 engines with minimal electrical power in 2030 or 2031, added that he wants to speak with Alonso. He wants to hear from the double world champion what “you want, because you are the driver, and come and tell me what you want us to do to improve these results”.

Alonso was asked about Ben Sulayem’s comments during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

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Asked if he was optimistic that some agreement could be found to help Honda, Alonso made it clear that he thinks it is the regulations in general that need to be fixed.

He told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Madrid: “I don’t know. I mean, I have a lot of things to go through already. Try to make up my mind for next year.

“I didn’t speak with him, but I speak with Stefano [Domenicali] regularly every week because Formula 1 cannot continue in this way.

“We cannot wait for 2031 to have a proper sport.

“I think it is my responsibility to help them with my experience to make whatever we can to improve these kinds of things.

“Turn 12, whoever is fastest there – I don’t want to pick a name, but it cannot be Michael faster than Max Verstappen if he has more battery.

“Because Turn 12 is such an incredible corner that it has to be Max Verstappen making the difference compared to Michael, and at the moment, we can’t.”

Michael Clayton is Aston Martin’s press officer.

Again using Michael as an example, Alonso said the new rules no longer favour the braver drivers.

“It is sad in a way with this generation of cars to come to a very nice circuit like this, with the challenges here and there like La Monumental, and the driver input is just nothing,” he said.

“Michael can drive in Turn 12 because you go flat with no K deployment. At the point the K comes, then you go fast on the exit.

“But in Formula 1, or motorsport in general, it should be that in Turn 12, if Michael is braver than me, he goes faster.

“If I have more attributes, I will go faster than him. That’s how it should be in qualifying, and now it is just how much state of charge I have, and I will go faster or slower.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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