The radical overhaul of the technical rules for 2022 shifted the aerodynamic bias, with the underside of the car taking the priority over top surfaces to produce 60% of total downforce.
Given the scale of the revamp, teams have battled porpoising and bouncing while - behind runaway champion Red Bull - the competitive order has been notable for fluctuating from round to round.
Aston Martin, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all featured as the second-fastest team on occasion throughout 2023 as the cars struggled for consistency between different types of circuits.
Two-time F1 champion Alonso reckons this is reflective of the new era of machinery being more difficult to set-up, with cars such as the Mercedes W14 notable for its narrow operating window.
The Spaniard said: “[The cars are] definitely more difficult to set up, more difficult to understand. Even more difficult to give the feedback to the team.
“Sometimes we drive these cars and we feel everything is going OK. You stop and you see the standings and maybe you are P14. And sometimes the opposite.
“You drive a very difficult car: the balance is completely out of the way and then you stop and you are top three. There is a very sensitive way of setting up the cars.”
Source: Autosport