SAKHIR, Bahrain — Max Verstappen has slated Formula 1’s new generation of cars ahead of the 2026 season, saying they are “not a lot of fun” to drive and “anti-racing.”
F1 overhauled its car designs entirely for the 2026 campaign, introducing brand new engines that place a greater emphasis on energy management and usage over each lap.
The drivers got their first extended taste of the new cars at a private test in Barcelona at the end of January before a second three-day test that is taking place in Bahrain this week.
Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen, who set the second-fastest time on the opening day of the test on Wednesday, was vocal in his criticism of the new cars when speaking about them for the first time.
“To drive, (they’re) not a lot of fun, to be honest,” Verstappen told reporters on Thursday in Bahrain, citing the focus on energy management as being the biggest problem.
He acknowledged that it was “not always the nicest thing to say,” recognizing the amount of work that had gone into developing the new engines from his Red Bull team, but said he wanted “to be realistic” with his views.
“As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like,” Verstappen said. “It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.”
He added: “As a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There’s a lot going on. A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things.
“For me, that’s just not Formula 1.”
(Joe Portlock/Getty Images)
It marks the strongest criticism yet of the new cars, which were subject to years of development and discussion from F1, the FIA and the teams, by one of the active drivers.
Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday that the new car rules were “ridiculously complex” and that “none of the fans are going to understand it.”
This is due to the heavy focus on energy management required from drivers across each lap, working out when to best use the battery in the cars and recharging it by unusual tactics such as dropping to first gear or keeping the engine at maximum revs.
Verstappen, whose Red Bull contract runs until 2028, has long stated that his long-term future in F1 would depend on getting enough enjoyment out of the cars that he races.
Asked about the impact of the new regulations — the cycle of which is due to last through 2030 — on his future, and whether a winning car could change his enjoyment, Verstappen replied: “(A) winning car for me, that doesn’t matter. It needs to be fun to drive as well, I think at this stage of my career.
“I am of course also exploring other things outside of Formula 1 to have fun at. I know that we’re stuck with this regulation for quite a while. So, yeah, let’s see.”
Looking for parts of the new car he could enjoy, Verstappen mentioned Red Bull’s new livery and said that the slightly reduced car size “looks good” for 2026.
“That’s not the problem. It’s just everything else that is a bit, for me, anti-racing,” said Verstappen.
“Probably people will not be happy with me saying this right now. But I am outspoken, and why am I not allowed to say what I think of my race car? I can’t help that. I didn’t write the regulation.
“If it was, I think, up to non-political aspects of making a regulation, I think the engine would have looked very different.
Verstappen did not doubt that the best drivers would still succeed in F1 this year, feeling they could adapt to whatever car they are given.
“It’s just the whole way of racing is changing, and I would say less pure,” Verstappen said.
“The good drivers will always be on top, and of course the people that have a bit more capacity around just driving fast will probably be up there.
“But that’s also not what I’m trying to say, because that’s also not my worry. It’s just the general driving experience.”
