Former F1 driver issues stern response to criticism over new regulations

Former F1 driver Jean Alesi has dismissed criticism of the new technical regulations introduced this year.

The first three races of the current season highlighted that F1 remains the pinnacle of motor racing; however, the fresh regulations have significantly altered the philosophy of racing. 

While Mercedes has stretched out a strong lead, the sport has had to learn new terms such as energy harvesting, deployment, and super clipping, and in this initial phase, the “product” has polarised opinions quite strongly. 

Long-time fans are outraged, and the driver community is also divided; some harshly criticise the current formula, while many greats from the past are not necessarily fans of what F1 is currently about.

Alesi is one of those who, based on preliminary opinions and outlooks, expected a major blow but quickly came to terms with the current state of F1. 

The French former driver, who holds 201 Grand Prix starts, 2 pole positions, 32 podium finishes, and 1 victory, shared his thoughts with RacingNews365 on the morning of race day during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

“During the testing, we have seen many technical issues, because it's very complicated to operate the system, but the races are just unbelievable,” Alesi said. 

“With everything I read, all the comments from drivers, I said, ‘OK, it's going to be a catastrophe’, but when I saw it for the first time on TV from Australia, it's the opposite. 

“We were not anymore thinking about reliability. So, in the last two years, the cars were starting and finishing, except when there were some crashes. Now, we had a few cars that were not reliable, because the system is, as I said, at the moment very new. 

“I enjoy to watch Formula 1 and I’m sure that they will find the way to make it as it was in the past, so very reliable.

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Alesi expects Mercedes pecking order shift

The relevant stakeholders - including F1, the FIA, teams, and engine manufacturers - will use the forced hiatus in April to evaluate the experiences from the first three races. 

Based on real-world data, they will consider which areas of the new regulatory framework require minor or major adjustments. The first meeting is scheduled for April 9th, but according to RacingNews365’s sources, further consultations will take place before the next race.

These discussions also occur after Mercedes emerged as the dominant force in the first three rounds. 

Due to the Silver Arrows' superiority, many already consider the season a foregone conclusion, envisioning that the battle for the individual world title will be nothing more than an internal Mercedes duel. 

Alesi, however, is not so pessimistic.

“It's very fresh,” he said. “It is like that now, but that will change. Now it looks like the qualifying is not as much important as the race, because some teams are able to have the maximum performance in qualifying. In a race, it doesn't look as much as it is in qualifying.

“In China, for example, after the qualifying, we said, ‘tomorrow, during the race, the Mercedes will disappear’. It was not the case. 

“They won, but it was a fight. And at a certain moment of the race, George said on the radio, ‘they are faster, well, it's a problem for me’. So, at the end, it was a fight.”

The loudest critic of the new regulatory framework is Max Verstappen, with whom several other colleagues - including defending world champion Lando Norris - agree. 

The four-time Dutch world champion primarily objects to the fact that, due to the new cars and philosophy, F1 no longer represents the classical values of motor racing. 

Alesi does not know if he would love these cars if he were racing today, but he is certain that the new F1 machines represent the absolute pinnacle of technology.

“As an old Formula 1 driver, I will not be able to drive this car. Because I'm 60, and my friends, if they are not 60, they are 50, but the same, they will not be able to make two laps together. 

“So, you know what? It's not our generation. It's still our passion so as a Formula 1 passionate, I love Formula 1, as it is now. If you ask me if I would love to have this car, I don't know. 

“But, what I know, it's the latest technology. So, what I know is, when I was racing, I always wanted to have the latest technology on my car.”