What happened: Fernando Alonso has warned that Silverstone's fast, flowing layout will be far less enjoyable to drive this year under the sport's latest technical regulations, whose energy requirements threaten to blunt the circuit's signature high-speed sections. His comments echo Max Verstappen, who said during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend that a simulator run around Silverstone had left him laughing at how the new cars behaved.

Why it matters: Silverstone's high-speed corners like Copse and the Maggotts-Becketts complex are among the most celebrated in Formula 1, so drivers questioning how the 2026 machinery will handle them raises real questions about the spectacle at one of the calendar's marquee venues. With multiple drivers now voicing the same concern, the issue points to a broader adjustment period as teams and drivers adapt to the regulation change.

What to watch: Watch how the 2026 cars actually perform through Silverstone's fast sections once the British Grand Prix weekend gets underway, and whether other drivers echo Alonso and Verstappen's assessment.

Sources

  • @autosport