Fernando Alonso: Overtakes happen by chance

      One of the important qualities that the best drivers possess has always been the ability to anticipate the development of events several moves ahead. This quality is fully present in Fernando Alonso, who has already participated in 428 Grands Prix in Formula 1 and has driven more than 23,000 laps on the championship tracks.

      The Spanish driver for Aston Martin is one of those who does not like the regulations for 2026, and the FIA is already preparing to adjust them – discussions on possible amendments will begin on April 9.

      On one hand, overtakes have increased significantly, and if this is considered a measure of spectacle, then some of the goals set by the authors of the innovations can be considered achieved. Statistics show that this season there have already been an average of 127.75 overtakes in each race, which is more than twice the figure from last year (50.5). On the other hand, these overtakes are most often related to the difference in speeds between cars, when one driver uses the overtake mode (Boost), while the other car's power unit switches to energy recovery mode.

      It was precisely this speed difference between Oliver Berman's Haas and Franco Colapinto's Alpine that caused a very serious accident in which the British driver was involved during the Japanese Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso anticipated something like this an hour before the start of that race.

      “Overtakes happen randomly. It suddenly turns out that the battery charge level in your car is higher than that of the one in front. So, you either have to make the overtake, or you crash into it,” quotes the two-time world champion the Spanish newspaper Marca. “Making such maneuvers is completely uninteresting. What’s the pleasure in that if you weren’t planning to overtake anyone? It’s more about trying to avoid the opponent's car to prevent an accident.

      Right now, you’re not extracting the maximum from the car, you’re not trying to brake later, you’re not choosing the outside or inside line. If your car's battery has a more or less normal charge, you make the overtake, but then your opponent counterattacks you…”

      Alonso is in agreement with Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and many other drivers. Berman's accident has become a very alarming signal that the FIA and Formula 1 management must respond to, but it is still unclear what path will be chosen and what will actually change after the rules are adjusted.