Fernando Alonso outlines the “extraordinary” aspect which is a growing concern amongst current F1 cars

Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso believes the weight and size of the current cars is a big issue facing the sport.

The two-time world champion has raced in several different iterations of the F1 cars in his two-decade-long career. Although the current generations of cars may not be as light as the V10s or 642kg dynamites from the early 2010s, they are certainly faster and have more downforce.

Many F1 fans and drivers have pointed out that the weight, i.e. 798kg, is a big issue preventing better racing. As per Motorsportweek, he said:

“The weight is extraordinary. At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great. We keep making these cars safer and safer, but obviously the heavier you make them when you have an impact it’s like crashing with a bus compared to a Smart Car.”

Fernando Alonso chimes on F1's efforts of having lighter cars in 2026

The Spaniard stated that having lighter cars in the 2026 season along with sustainable fuels won't be the solution to improve the show. Alonso claimed that the size of the car is a bigger factor in getting more wheel-to-wheel action.

Fernando Alonso said:

“I don’t think it [reducing the weight] would change much of the show. I think it’s more the size of the cars than the weight of the cars, which makes things a little bit more difficult. Overtaking, fights into the first couple of corners in the race, it is difficult now to position the car, just because of the size of it, not because of the weight of the car.

“So I think it’s going to be difficult to really reduce, significantly, the weight of course, as the hybrid engines, they will always be heavier than the normal engines, and the safety on these cars is a lot higher as well. So I know there is some interest in going in that direction. Let’s see what they can do. It will be always welcome and it’s always more fun to drive light cars, but at the end of the day, I think it’s more the size of them that makes racing a little bit more difficult.”

There is currently no clear-cut solution from the sport to improve the racing but it is certainly an important point raised by Fernando Alonso regarding the size of the car. Maybe, F1 should focus on reducing the size of the car rather than focusing too much on the weight aspect.