'I might quit if 2017 cars aren't more fun' - Alonso

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Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has repeated his criticism of modern Formula One cars and regulations, and said that he will consider quitting the sport if the new 2017 regulations don't bring some of the fun and enjoyment back into the sport.

"I think in the last couple of years especially with this turbo engine era I think the car is a little different to drive," he said on Thursday.

"I don't say that's better or worse, everyone will have his opinion, I've been lucky enough to drive 2003 cars, 2004, 5 even until 2009 the cars were in my opinion more extreme, more Formula One cars.

"Now when I see GP2 running three seconds away or something like that in FP1 it feels a little bit sad.

"The cars are heavy, no grip, we save fuel, we save tyres, we save everything from lap one so it's a little bit against the instinct of the driver.

"It's not related to whether you're competitive or not or whether you're out of Q1 or you are winning a championship it's just whether you're enjoying or not enjoying and right now in my opinion the cars are not enjoyable.

"But probably because I drove older cars: if you arrive now to Formula One then the cars now are very fast and fun to drive but not for me anymore."

Asked whether he would consider quitting the sport, Alonso said that everything depended on next year's rules changes.

"Next year I finish my contract with McLaren - the one that I have now - so I will have to make a decision if continue in Formula One or not.

"I think with the new regs everything will change a little bit. I think if the cars are fun to drive, I will probably stay longer and drive more years in Formula One, and if the cars are still giving me the feeling that I have in the last couple of years probably I will stop."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.