Fernando Alonso has launched a scathing attack on Formula 1’s current regulations, branding the modern machinery the “worst” he has ever driven around the streets of Monte Carlo.
The two-time world champion has been one of the most vocal critics of the 2026 technical regulations, and his frustration boiled over once again following a disastrous Friday practice in the Principality. According to Alonso, the intricate way the current power units harvest and deploy electrical energy has fundamentally ruined the driving experience at one of motorsport’s most iconic venues.
The Technical Crisis Behind Aston Martin’s Panic
Heading into the Monaco weekend, Aston Martin was primarily plagued by a series of severe technical, driveability, and mechanical integration issues with their AMR26 chassis and Honda power unit.
Since the season opener in Melbourne, the AMR26 has been heavily hamstrung by severe, aggressive vibrations coming from the new Honda engine. The integration between the power unit and Aston Martin’s custom gearbox was highly deficient. Ahead of Monaco, Team Principal Adrian Newey (who returned to the track for the first time since March to help fix it) and the factory had been working flat out to resolve these harmonic vibrations, which were so brutal they previously risked causing permanent nerve damage to the drivers.
Because Monaco is probably the only “energy-rich” circuit on the F1 calendar due to continuous heavy braking, Aston Martin was highly concerned about how their power unit would manage torque delivery. If a car hits the “top of the pack” (the battery recharging to 100% capacity too early in the lap), the engine can no longer harvest energy. For Aston Martin, this triggered a major driveability concern: a complete lack of consistent engine braking, making the car wildly unpredictable when entering the circuit’s tight corners.
On the mechanical side, the car was simply behaving as a “very difficult” and uncompetitive machine. Team representative Pedro de la Rosa admitted the car completely lacked pace compared to rivals, while Alonso openly complained about “chronic understeer” and high inconsistency under braking that made navigating the barriers an absolute nightmare.
Following a retirement at the previous round in Canada, the team also had to scramble to fix severe cockpit and seating ergonomics for the Spaniard. The extreme vibrations coupled with a poor seating position left Alonso in immense physical pain during the race, requiring a completely redesigned layout tailored to the tight, physical nature of the Monaco streets.
The Unpredictable Braking Paradox
Alonso highlighted a critical flaw in how the hybrid systems handle Monaco’s unique, slow-speed layout, explaining that the extreme energy-harvesting demands are making the cars dangerously unpredictable on entry to corners.
Fernando Alonso: “This is probably the worst generation of cars I ever drove in Monaco. 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. Sometimes you have less, sometimes you have push, and sometimes not.”
The Spaniard explained that once the battery hits 100% capacity on the energy-rich Monaco streets, the car’s handling dynamics completely transform mid-corner.
Fernando Alonso: “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. It’s just the rules. Hybrid cars should not be racing. It’s as simple as that.”
This mirrors previous comments by world champion Lando Norris, who concluded the battery has to go when asked about the rule changes prior to the Miami Grand Prix:
Lando Norris: “It’s a small step in the right direction but it’s not to the level that Formula 1 should still be at yet. If you go flat out everywhere and you try pushing like you were in previous years you still just get penalised for it. You still can’t be flat out everywhere. You should never get penalised for that kind of thing and you still do. Honestly, I don’t really think you can fix that. You just have to get rid of the battery. So hopefully in a few years, that’s the case.”
Grim Reality Check on the Timesheets
Alonso’s purist campaign against the electrical-heavy era has been a running theme throughout the season. Just one round prior in Canada, he argued that F1 had compromised genuine, wheel-to-wheel racing in favour of a sport dictated by energy management algorithms.
However, his technical complaints are undoubtedly amplified by Aston Martin’s severe lack of pace. The 44-year-old endured a miserable start to his Monaco weekend, finishing towards the bottom of the timesheets during both Friday sessions and even clipping the barriers approaching the Nouvelle Chicane in FP1.
Paddock Reaction: Russell and Hülkenberg Weigh In
Mercedes driver George Russell was also focused on the unique tactical headache of the circuit being “energy-rich,” warning that managing the battery capacity right before the tunnel would make or break qualifying laps.
George Russell: “Energy isn’t an issue here, but definitely hitting the top of the pack coming out of Turn 8 [Portier] before the tunnel is going to very much be a feature and a possibility. I know we’ve got some mitigations in place.”
Meanwhile, Audi has suffered this season from an engine design which features a large turbocharger, drawing criticism because it takes so long to spool up compared to the smaller, more nimble turbo of Ferrari.
Much of the pre-Monaco talk revolved around the low-speed turbo lag expected at the Loews Hairpin, but Nico Hülkenberg believes the “energy-rich” nature of the Monaco streets might actually mask their inherent engineering weaknesses.
Nico Hülkenberg: “It’s so energy rich here that the MGU-K can compensate quite a bit for that [turbo lag], so it might be actually that this could work in our favour in the end.”
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
