'GP2 engines': F1 can end its Mario Kart era, but the cars will be even slower

Mario Kart world background with Alonso sat crossed legged and with arms crossed looking grumpy in Aston Martin kit — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2026 Regulations

'GP2 engines': F1 can end its Mario Kart era, but the cars will be even slower

There's no immediate fix that doesn't have some downside...

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Tuesday 7 April 2026 10:54

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David Coulthard has warned that reducing the amount of energy deployed by F1 cars this season could bring an old Fernando Alonso complaint to life.

The 13-time grand prix winner has claimed that the framework is in place to reduce the electrical energy harvested and deployed, but warned that there will be unwanted side-effects.

What are those side-effects? Well, remember when Alonso complained about his 'GP2 engine' during the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix? That, basically.

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Coulthard warned that the gap between F1 lap times and F2 lap times - which hovered between about 10 and 15 seconds last year - would be slashed dramatically if the electrical energy portion of the engines was mitigated.

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Coulthard: Hardware exists to fix deployment issues, but...

Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, the former Williams and McLaren driver explained: "The hardware is there, it's a continuation of what we had the last few years with the V6 turbo. How they harness energy has obviously changed, and the amount of energy they get each lap has changed.

"That can be downgraded to bring the engine into being a bigger player – the problem with that, of course, is that there isn't going to be a big gap in lap time between Formula 1 and Formula 2, with what has typically been an eight to ten second gap. That is a significant step-up.

"It's obviously frustrating for us all because we're fans of the sport, we're ex-racers, we've all been behind the steering wheel.

"We love competition, we love racing, and is it just me or are the FIA actually being a bit more hand-in-glove with F1 and the drivers than may have been the case in the past, when it felt quite confrontational? 'We're the FIA, you're the drivers, we have the bigger hammer so get in line'."

Alonso's comments from more than a decade ago have a notable parallel with his current situation, too.

His engine manufacturer that year? Honda, coming back to the sport from an absence and struggling.

His engine manufacturer 11 years later in 2026? Honda, coming back to the sport and struggling.

The more things change...

F1 2026 regulations David Coulthard