One of the major factors that lured Fernando Alonso to Formula 1 back was the 'promise' that the new rules that kicked in this year would level the lopsided playing field that the sport has been for far too many years.
The budget cap is one of the tools being used to control F1 team expenditure, ending a situation where the big teams could invest relentlessly to improve their cars, while the smaller teams simply could not match the rate of development as funds were not available.
Thus the 2022 rules package, which was supposed to be implemented a year earlier, became reality, and yet the same teams did the winning - Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes - yet the gulf between them and the midfield remained pretty much the same, while the gap covering that pack behind the top three teams did indeed narrow.
Alonso was asked if things did indeed even out in F1 thanks to the new rules, and he replied: "The new rules were one of the reasons I came back. They were originally supposed to come out in 2021. So I was there a year early. And yes, it was a little disappointing for everyone to realize that things didn't change drastically."
Fernando: At most, there are two teams that can win races as has been the case in recent years
"The gap between the top two or three teams and the midfield is still too big," insisted Alonso. "In 50 percent of races, we are one lap down from the winner. Thus, we have not yet achieved the result that F1 was aiming for with the reset of the rules.
"I don't think the budget cap will have a big impact. More like the rules. They are very restrictive. There isn't much left to invent. The best teams are quite close to the limit and the others will catch up," says the Spaniard.
A veteran of a record 359 Grand Prix starts in every generation of F1 car since 2001, the new cars do not impress Alonso: "They are a bit surprising. The cars are very slow in the slow corners. Due to the heavier weight, they now always feel as if they have 100 liters of fuel on board.
"They come alive in the fast corners. And the higher the speed, the more grip there is. That was the case before to a certain extent, but the effect of suction as a function of speed is much greater with these cars, "he assesses.
"Last year I wasn't so familiar with the car. Now it's me. I felt the car from the first lap. Then there are such wonderful tools like data, telemetry, that help you compare yourself with your teammate. That flattens the differences. I've also benefited from it," he acknowledged.
Alonso will drive for Aston Martin in 2023, his 360th Grand Prix start (this time in Green) will be the season opener in Bahrain on 5 March; it will be the fifth team he has driven for in F1, the others were Minardi, three spells at Renault (aka Alpine), two spells at McLaren plus a five-year stint at Ferrari.
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