Alonso urges Verstappen and Stroll to calm down after previous criticism

11:46, 14 Aug

Updated: 12:23, 14 Aug

byLudo van Denderen

Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll were not big fans of the '26-generation F1 cars after their first experiences in the simulator. However, Fernando Alonso, who has also driven his first virtual laps, cautions them to some restraint.

The way the drivers race will change in 2026, that's clear on the eve of a drastic regulatory revamp in Formula 1.

The fear among some drivers - including Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll - is that the cars have to lift & coast down the straightaway, to charge the battery.

Alonso is cautious

However, Fernando Alonso doesn't want to make a judgment about what might happen in 2026 yet.

"I only did one day on the simulator and it was difficult to really take any conclusions of that so, I will wait a little bit longer or maybe even to test the real car," says the Aston Martin driver among others to GPblog.

Fernando Alonso drives the AMR25 at the Hungaroring

Aston Martin hopes to have the best car in '26 thanks to Adrian Newey

"Because sometimes you in the simulator you have a feeling and then on the real car you have one. So, yeah, it's less performance than this year."

"Every time a racing driver tests something that is slower, we'll never like it."

'Twelve hp in the rental car and we love it'

But Alonso also says: "But then we go in a rental car with 12 horsepower and we love it. So yeah If next year you are fast we will love the cars and hopefully Lance can enjoy. That would be good news."

Lance Stroll previously answered questions from GPblog about his experiences in the simulator. The Canadian, Alonso's teammate, was anything but enthusiastic. You can read his verdict here.