Fernando Alonso has kept the hybrid debate alive since pre‑season testing in Bahrain, arguing that the 2026 power unit’s near‑50:50 split dulls corner‑entry differentials. Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix he warned that even a shift to a 60/40 ICE‑electric balance for 2027 would leave the grid in a transitional limbo, delaying any real change until the 2031 technical cycle.

The first hybrid era suffered teething problems – fragile turbo‑chargers and battery limits forced drivers to manage energy carefully, often sacrificing outright speed. Added mass from two electric motors and a sizable battery raises chassis weight, reducing agility on twisty sections. As Oscar Piastri noted in Montreal, the current setup forces a delicate balance between battery state and turbo boost, a compromise that hampers pure racing.

Alonso’s criticism resonates with a segment of drivers who feel the sport has sacrificed a decade of authentic wheel‑to‑wheel action. While rivals like Carlos Sainz accept the current units as a workable stop‑gap, the push for a Formula 1‑wide re‑balance underscores growing pressure on manufacturers to deliver lighter, less dependent powertrains before the next regulatory overhaul.