Fernando Alonso Not Happy With F1 Rules, Would Consider Le Mans Or Indy 500 Switch

McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso has voiced his concerns regarding the sport as well as his car multiple times over the course of the last 12 months.

This time however, he went even further by pointing out just how anti-racing current Formula 1 rules are, and that if they don’t improve the excitement factor next season, he would seriously consider leaving.

As reported by Autosport and translated by Michele Lostia, Alonso recently went on record saying that nowadays, F1 is all about highs and lows and that the direction in which the sport is headed is still not clear.

“I’m not at all happy for some things that are happening: we can never drive the cars to their real limit; we can never attack as much as we would like because the tires don’t allow you to. If you push too hard they overheat, and lose grip immediately. If you use the engine too much, you step over consumption parameters.”

“To be quick in today’s F1, you must not attack too much, that’s the secret, but that’s something against a driver’s instincts. This is why current cars aren’t as pleasing to drive compared to other periods, when the technical rule book was different. This situation doesn’t make me too happy.”

The Spaniard described exactly what he felt was different now compared to “back in the day” when there was more of a physical strain on the drivers.

“I am not saying current cars are easier to drive, but they certainly are from a physical point of view or in finding the car’s true limit.”

“That’s because before, when you were attacking a turn, the speed mid-turn was so high that you really had to trust your car, trust that it would handle it. With less grip, it’s easier to find the grip’s limit.”

He then went on to add that “before, after 10 laps you had to have a two-hour massage, while now you can drive 150 laps and barely sweat by the end.”

Alonso is currently thinking about departing the sport unless the 2017 rules will lead to him enjoying driving F1 cars again. His two main preferences are either Le Mans or the Indianapolis 500.

“If I see F1 carries on going in a different direction compared to what I knew and loved in the recent past, at that point I could consider other alternatives and leave F1. Le Mans would be the option closest to my driving style, and to what I’ve always done. The Indy 500 is a fascinating, radical change because you must learn a completely different driving style and way of thinking.”

“Nevertheless, I’d be open and ready to learn it because when you have been F1 world champion there are only two other races that are equivalent prestige-wise: the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500.”