"It has become much more complicated": Fernando Alonso on the difficulty to share the right feedback with the new F1 cars

Fernando Alonso recently claimed that it was much more difficult to pinpoint issues in a modern F1 car as compared to the older machines.

The Spaniard, who has been racing in the sport since 2001, has experience driving a plethora of F1 cars from different eras. Alonso felt that a driver's feedback on an issue can no longer be crystal clear.

In an exclusive interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Alonso stated that modern F1 cars are increasingly becoming difficult to understand, mainly because drivers are now unable to provide clear feedback. According to him, a driver might feel like the car felt good, but the data says otherwise, and vice versa. He said:

"These cars are more difficult to understand because the driver's feedback is no longer so clear. Sometimes the balance of the car isn't right and you end up third. Other times you feel like you're in the car well and ended up in 14th place. It has become much more complicated to filter out individual factors for a certain driving behavior."

He recalled how drivers used to pinpoint issues on older cars much more accurately, saying:

"In the past, you could say much more precisely whether the problem came from the aerodynamics, the chassis or the tires."

The FIA recently simplified the aerodynamics of F1 cars in 2022 and will further try to impose rules to shrink and reduce their weight in 2026, when teams will introduce new power units.

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Fernando Alonso on sacrificing aspects of life for F1

Fernando Alonso is the oldest F1 driver on the grid, still going strong at the age of 42. He recently spoke about how racing drivers make sacrifices in order to dedicate their lives to motorsports, similar to what he did.

In a Q&A feature on Aston Martin's website, the Spaniard spoke about how, despite being a family-oriented person, he still does not have kids, mainly because he has focused more on racing. He said:

"Of course. You make sacrifices, and sometimes you're aware of those when you're making them and sometimes you don't realize until five years later."

He added:

I'm a very family-oriented person. I love to spend time with my family. At this time of my life, I thought I'd already have a family and kids, all these kinds of things, and I found myself at 42 without any kids yet. I have sacrificed a lot for F1, but I have no regrets."

Alonso has been racing in professional motorsport series' since 1999, including F1, WEC, Indycar and Le Mans.