Formula 1 pre-season testing: Lewis Hamilton says new cars are more fun

But Alonso said driver skill was no longer as important as it used to be, because optimal power management meant that some corners were taken slower than they could have been because doing so gained more lap time from having extra energy to deploy on the straights than was lost during the corners.

“You’re always at maximum grip. It depends on the corners. You’re always at maximum grip in a rental car if you push to the limit,” Alonso said.

“But the high-speed corners, in particular, I think are less difficult. You have to say that. There’s nothing wrong to say.” [that].

“At Turn 12 in Bahrain, and maybe some corners in Barcelona, ​​you have to decide to save energy and go through the corner at a slower speed so that you have more energy for the straight.

“From a driver’s point of view, skills are less important because you can go at the same speed as the power selection you make before that corner, so it’s a different Formula 1.”

After Verstappen’s criticism of the new engines last week, in which he said the new cars were like “Formula E on steroids” and “not just Formula 1”, he said: “You’re fighting control. You’re at the limit of what you have, for sure. But it’s not as much now.”

“Of course, I also know that this is probably one of the worst [circuits]in terms of the feeling of grip you get from the car, because the tarmac is so aggressive.

“Much less downforce, but at the same time, you also don’t get as much cohesion [in the braking and turning phase] at the moment. It’s a bit difficult to manage.”

Hamilton said he did not yet have a clear picture of how the new rules would affect the race, and said: “I don’t know if it will be better.”