Fernando Alonso said Monaco has exposed how flawed the 2026 Formula 1 cars remain, calling the generation he drove there this week probably the worst he has ever experienced at the circuit and arguing that hybrid cars should not be racing.
That criticism landed after Friday practice and again after qualifying in Monaco, where the track’s heavy braking zones made recharge less of a distraction and let drivers spend more time pushing for lap time than they have all season. Alonso, who qualified eighth, still came away unconvinced by the cars, and his remarks arrive as Formula 1 drivers keep debating whether the new power units should be changed after a rocky start to the era.
The Monaco layout is unusual for the current rules. The circuit’s braking zones keep the battery topped up more easily than at many other tracks, and the weekend did not use active aerodynamics, which shifted attention toward chassis and tyre performance. That made the laps feel cleaner for some drivers. Lando Norris said qualifying laps were probably the most pure of the year, while Charles Leclerc said there were no energy thoughts during the lap and it was full attack from start to finish. Audi's Nico Hülkenberg called the setting encouraging because of its energy-rich corners.
Alonso did not share that optimism. He said the cars are not good and pointed to the inconsistent interaction between the power unit and brakes as the reason hybrid machinery should not be on the grid. That view cut against the more relaxed tone from others who welcomed a Monaco lap that demanded less dashboard-watching and less management of recharge, even if Norris also warned he was not declaring the system fixed simply because the circuit suited it better.
The disagreement matters because Monaco was supposed to be the fairest test yet for the 2026 concept, and it still left some of the sport's biggest names uneasy. Drivers are already talking about changes for next year and for 2030, and Alonso said that discussion is happening as early as race six. For now, the circuit that should have softened the argument instead showed how far Formula 1 still has to go before the new cars win over everyone who has to drive them.
