Max Verstappen has labelled the energy management demands of Formula 1’s 2026 cars “not very Formula 1-like”, “anti-racing” and more like “Formula E on steroids”.
New car and engine rules for this year place a massive emphasis on recovering as much energy as possible to utilise the increased power output from the MGU-K, which means the split between internal combustion engine and electric power is almost 50/50.
The need to constantly recharge the battery has led to extreme levels of lifting-and-coasting, aggressive downshifting and gear selection tactics, and a new kind of engine clipping to pause the electric power deployment late on the straights and rev them harder.
Verstappen said the demands mean the cars are actually “not a lot of fun” over a stint and made a dismissive comparison to the FIA’s electric single-seater series with a reference to the energy-saving tactics that dominate Formula E races.
The four-time world champion said: “It’s not always the nicest thing to say, but I also want to be realistic as a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.
“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 have a massive effect on the energy side of things.
“And for me, that’s just not Formula 1, because then maybe it’s better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy, efficiency and management. That’s what they stand for.
“Driving-wise, it’s not so fun. But at the same time, I also know what is at stake with the team, with our own engine. And seeing the excitement of the people, of course, when I sit in the car, I will always give it my very best. They know that.
“[But the] excitement level is not so high. And to drive.”
Verstappen’s Red Bull team seems to have made a good start to the new regulations despite the immense challenging of building its own engine for the first time.
It has even been tipped by several Mercedes-powered teams as the real benchmark, despite the long-held perception that Mercedes was in the best place.
Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028 and, having grown frustrated by various aspects of F1 in recent years including the rules direction, has openly talked about the prospect of walking away from F1 at that point.
“A winning car for me doesn’t matter,” said Verstappen of whether Red Bull winning under these rules would help his enjoyment. “It needs to be fun to drive as well, at this stage of my career.
“I am 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.”
The slightly smaller, lighter 2026 cars no longer have the same ground-effect dependency as the previous generation.
Many drivers are pleased with how that has changed how the cars actually handle on track, where they look more responsive and seem better to drive at speed, but they also have less grip as a result.
And despite saying the “proportion of the car looks good, that’s not the problem”, and it’s “just everything else that is a bit for me anti-racing”, Verstappen clearly dislikes that aspect of the new cars too.
“I just want normal driving,” he said. “How it should be, without having to [think], ‘Ooh if I brake a bit longer or less or more or one gear up or down’, stuff like that, that it so heavily impacts the performance on the straights.
“Plus, the grip, I think at the moment, is quite low with these tyres and the car configuration.
“It is, I would say a big step back to how it was.”
