Fernando Alonso says the challenge of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is little different in 2017 despite Formula One's more aggressive and demanding cars.
This year's regulations produced wider, faster cars which have proved popular with drivers and fans alike after several years of complaints F1 cars had become too easy to drive. Alonso's FP2 time on Friday was almost three seconds faster than he managed in the same session in 2016, but the Spaniard was expecting more from this year's machinery.
"It was not too different,'' Alonso said. "I was expecting more, probably. In the last couple of races, in Silverstone, in Hungary, in Austria, I think the cars perform very different compared to last year and they were much quicker. For us here, it was not the case unfortunately.''
"You lose so much on the straights and you gain on the corners but the lap time was not too different. It's always fun. It's probably the best circuit in the world so every lap you do here is magic.''
Force India's Sergio Perez agreed with Alonso, saying grip levels were expected to be higher.
"I was quite surprised because I think the level of downforce we are running it is not so fast compared to last year,'' Perez said. "I think that's more down to the level of downforce we are carrying because I was definitely expecting a lot more grip."
When asked if Eau Rouge was too easy with the new cars, Perez said: "Yeah. I was flat through Eau Rouge on my first timed lap. I think the way the sport is going, with more downforce, the less tricky Eau Rouge will be, but it still is a great corner."