The two-time victor of the Formula 1 global competition, Fernando Alonso, is anticipating the cessation of the ground-impact period, with the series unveiling an updated collection of regulations in 2026.
Significant alterations are slated for both the powertrain and framework of F1 vehicles, rendering them more lightweight and streamlined, with a heightened emphasis on electrical power, showcasing an almost symmetrical division with the internal combustion mechanism.
This transition will signify the conclusion of ground-impact vehicles, initially presented in 2022, intending to cultivate enhanced racing encounters by amplifying downforce thresholds – notably when shadowing a vehicle intimately.
Nevertheless, this vision hasn’t entirely come to fruition, encountering various complications along the way, spanning from bouncing in early 2022 to overtaking proving exceedingly challenging in 2025, attributed to the prevalent issue of disrupted airflow.
Consequently, Alonso voiced that he “won’t lament the absence of this vehicle iteration”, yet conceded that this sentiment might evolve, considering the 2026 vehicles are slower than the current models, which rank among the swiftest historically.
“Presumably, in the forthcoming year, we’ll experience diminished velocities and a sense of longing for these vehicles when piloting the subsequent ones, given our inherent aspiration for peak swiftness,” remarked the Aston Martin pilot preceding this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images
“Nevertheless, I surmise the [prevailing] vehicles possess excessive heft, are excessively sizable, and the ground impact coupled with the ride elevations at which we’re contending aren’t particularly gratifying to navigate.
“Furthermore, potentially even in pursuing rival vehicles, the aspirations pinned on this regulation to facilitate intimate pursuit and foster heightened track dynamics haven’t entirely materialized. Maybe marginally during the initial year, but not in subsequent periods. Thus, indeed, I don’t anticipate harboring excessive remorse for this iteration.”
An element contributing to the escalated complexity of overtaking relative to prior epochs resides in the enhanced compactness of the grid, stemming from teams refining their methodologies throughout the ground-impact timeframe.
In the Brazilian qualifying round, for instance, a disparity of under a second partitioned the uppermost 15 contenders. Consequently, if each vehicle sustains comparable momentum, diminishing the separation and executing an overtake becomes formidably arduous. This is augmented by the intensification of the disturbed airflow phenomenon since 2022, evident in 15 out of 21 grand prix events being secured from pole position this year.
Correspondingly, Max Verstappen, who has commanded a substantial portion of the prevailing era, echoed Alonso’s evaluations, suggesting that the ground-impact generation hasn’t invariably operated as conceptualized.
“I won’t lament the absence of these vehicles,” conveyed Verstappen. “Initially, it was advantageous for a duration [the disturbed airflow], albeit no longer. I maintain that you can pursue marginally superior, and somewhat more regulated, in any event.”
“With those antiquated vehicles, you genuinely encountered acute oversteer or understeer in specific zones, an absence now. Presently, there’s merely diminished downforce, coupled with the conundrum that the slipstream generated by these vehicles lacks equivalent efficacy. On select circuits, it’s plainly inadequate for executing overtakes.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images
The four-time global titleholder additionally detailed the somatic adversities encountered with the ground-impact vehicles, given their approximation of being 50kg heftier than the culmination of 2021.
“Candidly, I didn’t discover them to be the paramount in driving amusement,” the Red Bull driver appended. “It hasn’t been agreeable at all, throughout these years – my entire dorsal structure is disintegrating, and my pedal extremities consistently ache.
“In the physiological context, it hasn’t been optimal. Upon scrutiny of scans, they lack an encouraging outlook. Conversely, when contemplating motocross, we possess limited grounds for grievance. Nonetheless, with cognizance of its prior state or its conceivable potential, I’d preferentially opt for the configuration prevalent during 2015-2016.”
This isn’t to propose that the 2026 vehicles are flawless or precisely aligned with the championship’s requisites, given the documented challenges encountered by drivers within the simulator environment.
Charles Leclerc, as an illustration, conveyed that it wasn’t supremely gratifying to navigate, with deliberations even arising regarding prematurely discarding the forthcoming generation of power units in lieu of V8s – yet, in Las Vegas, George Russell verified his anticipation for the alteration.
“It’s progressing in the opportune trajectory, rendering the vehicles more diminutive and lightweight,” stated the Mercedes pilot, who, similarly, hasn’t particularly relished ground-impact machinery yet echoed Alonso’s standpoint regarding their velocity being a favorable attribute.
“You perpetually reminisce about the favorable facets from a past occurrence. Seldom do you genuinely recall the unfavorable elements. Consequently, I’m confident we’re poised to experience nostalgia for that elevated velocity prowess, while likely sidelining the adverse aspects. Nevertheless, that’s merely the modus operandi of existence.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
