Sour grapes? Fernando Alonso moans again about 'predictable' F1

A case of sour grapes again? Fernando Alonso has begun his age old narrative of criticising Formula 1 and labelling it "predictable" yet again. The Spaniard is unhappy because the wins during the 2022 season have thus far been shared by four drivers - those from Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.

Alonso, a two-time F1 world champion, quit F1 at the end of the 2018 season after struggling to challenge at the front with McLaren. Even then, the Spaniard accused the sport of being predictable owing to Mercedes' dominance of the sport.

The 40-year-old returned to F1 in 2021 with the Alpine Racing Team ahead of F1's regulation overhaul to allow closer racing. The FIA also introduced a cost cap to reduce the spending power of the bigger teams and to control in-season development.

The new regulations came into effect in 2022, and the pecking order has altered, but not as much as expected. Red Bull remain at the forefront, while Ferrari has gotten back to winning ways after struggling in recent years. Mercedes, however, is not at the front after dominating for eight seasons but is still currently the third fastest team.

The 2022 season has been anything but predictable, with Ferrari and Red Bull giving fans enthralling racing at almost every venue. Drivers are able to follow cars more closely making it possible to overtake and make up positions during the race.

While the Alpine cars have shown promise under the new regulations, they have not built a car capable of challenging at the front or fighting regularly for podium positions. They currently remain just behind Mercedes in the pecking order, which has seen Alonso again criticising the sport and labelling it "predictable".

"Unfortunately, Formula One is still very predictable. Everything revolves around Red Bull and Ferrari. Only Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez can win," Alonso said, as quoted by the Daily Express.

"I don't know any other sport like that. But it's still too boring, even if this is a feature of Formula One. There will always be teams that are faster than others."

Alonso revealed that Alpine are already focusing their attention on 2023 in the hope of building a more competitive race car. The Spaniard's future in the sport, however, remains unclear with his contract expiring at the end of the ongoing campaign.

"We are not fighting for victories, and I don't think the situation will improve quickly. The team is focused on the 2023 season already when the car should be better," the Spaniard, who has been outscored by teammate Esteban Ocon this year, added.