Alonso warns F1 cars could drop below F2 power levels at Spa-Francorchamps

Fernando Alonso has issued a stark warning ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, saying that F1 cars could be left with less power than a Formula 2 machine for large stretches of the Spa-Francorchamps lap due to the circuit’s severe demands on hybrid energy deployment.

Spa’s layout — long straights, demanding climbs through Eau Rouge and Raidillon, and limited heavy braking zones — mirrors the challenges drivers faced at Silverstone, where battery recharging opportunities were scarce. The problem is compounded by the fact that this year’s F1 cars produce significantly less power from their V6 engines alone than last season’s machinery.

“Silverstone and Spa, they are very thirsty on energy,” Alonso said during the build-up to the British GP. “If you deploy in Spa from Turn 1 [La Source] to 5 [Les Combes], it is finito for the rest of the lap. And with no deployment at all, we cannot forget that this year we have significantly less power than last year and less power than F2.”

The numbers illustrate the scale of the issue. F1’s V6 engines without hybrid assistance produce around 540bhp, while F2’s Mecachrome units generate approximately 610bhp. With full deployment, F1 cars reach around 1,000bhp — but that advantage disappears when the battery is exhausted.

It is worth noting that even in a depleted state, F1 cars remain considerably faster overall. Kimi Antonelli’s pole position at Silverstone was a 1m28.111s, compared to Rafael Camera’s F2 pole of 1m39.690s at the same venue.

Alonso’s concerns are widely shared in the paddock. Spa is considered one of the worst circuits for the current power unit regulations, alongside Silverstone, Monza, and Suzuka. At the British GP, Alonso described the Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex as a “charging station” — corners that exist primarily for battery management rather than lap time.

Oliver Bearman echoed the mood after the Silverstone weekend. “Let’s not speak too soon because we have Spa next week… maybe Silverstone will feel mega compared to that,” the Haas driver said.

With Spa’s iconic first sector capable of draining a fully charged battery in one pass, teams will face difficult strategic decisions about where to deploy and where to conserve — choices that could define race outcomes as much as tyre strategy or pit stop timing.