Leading Formula 1 drivers including Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso have warned that Monaco's atypical 2026 spectacle hasn't transformed the divisive driving challenge of these cars into all-out positivity - and has only taped over the cracks in the ongoing engine debate.
Changes are already being considered and debated over the current F1 power units after a rocky start to the new era in 2026 as the new recharge modes have proved divisive and unpopular.
In Monaco, however, recharge isn't as much of a factor given the amount of hard braking zones that essentially keep the battery topped up.
Drivers remarked that they spent less time worrying about recharging and more time setting quick laps for the first time this season.
"What you see today is probably the most pure qualifying laps you've seen all year," said Norris after putting his McLaren eighth on the grid for Sunday's race.
"At the same time, I'm not coming in and going, 'Yeah, it was way better, therefore I'm happy'.
"You're still looking at your dash, trying to get the recharge off at the right time, get the turbo in the right point, get the battery in the right point. It's just stuff we shouldn't be looking at and trying to figure out.
"There's still going to be a crash at some point because someone's just looking at their dash trying to figure stuff out."
Charles Leclerc, who hit the wall at the end of qualifying in his chase for pole position - just before Kimi Antonelli crossed the line to grab it for Mercedes - was succinct in his response to Norris's comments.
"I agree, there was no energy thoughts during the lap, which is a good thing. It was full attack from the beginning to the end. It's something I enjoy."
Audi's Nico Hulkenberg added that Monaco was "encouraging" given its "energy-rich" layout of corners.
But Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was far more pointed in his continued criticism of the current regulations.
After Friday practice he called this "probably the worst generation of cars I ever drove in Monaco" and suggested "hybrid cars should not be racing" because of how inconsistent the interaction between power unit and brakes is.
"The generation of these cars is...they are not good," he said after qualifying.
"Obviously, we are not meant to criticise anything. Some are more public, some less public. But we are talking about changing the engine for next year and changing the engine for 2030 on race six.
"So that tells you, no one is happy with the current cars. If they are more publicly [outspoken] or not, it's their own decision."
The fact F1 cars are not using active aerodynamics this weekend, and Monaco is such a good layout for energy recovery that no car is needing to lift and coast or use the combustion engine to charge the battery, means the focus has shifted more towards pure chassis and tyre performance and allowed the drivers to focus more on driving.
But even so there is a variance in enjoyment based on an individual driver's frame of reference.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton bemoaned the lack of downforce and overall grip offered by this generation of car, calling it a "step down" while recalling much fonder memories of his earliest Monaco Grands Prix - in 2007 and 2008.
And Alonso's misery must be put in the particular context of Aston Martin being so far off the pace of other cars, something his team-mate Stroll pointed out.
"Some guys are going only, I think, one second slower than the ground effect [cars of 2025], we're going like five to six seconds slower than the ground effect," Stroll said.
"For me it's not so enjoyable, but I guess it depends on the car you drive. Some cars are going five, six seconds quicker [than us] so probably a lot more downforce, a lot more grip and then it's more enjoyable to drive."
from The Race https://ift.tt/1YOLKzV
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