Max Verstappen has doubled down on his concerns about the direction of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, saying the new generation of cars and power units make it harder for the fastest drivers to make a difference—and that more people are finally starting to agree with him.
Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen highlighted how energy management and the self-learning aspects of the new power units are neutralizing driver skill. “In the beginning most people were saying, ‘ah, he’s complaining, he should shut up’. But I have to say that the last few races, more and more people are seeing the same thing that I could see coming already a long time ago,” Verstappen said.
He believes that, under the current rules, even the best drivers can’t fully showcase their talent: “It’s just your throttle input. By being faster sometimes in the corner, you lose more in the straight afterwards, which, of course, is not how it should be. … You’re not allowed to make a difference because it will just penalise you on the next straight.”
Verstappen also noted that the gap between team-mates has shrunk as a result, with drivers often forced to drive to the limitations of the energy management systems rather than push for outright lap time. “It’s basically just neutralising a lot of lap time, and that’s why, I guess, in general, you see a lot of close battles between teams and also team-mates.”
He contrasted the new style of racing with what real fans expect: “Now, the overtake sometimes is done in the middle of the straight, it’s a bit odd. … Real racing fans understand. The non-racing fans think it’s cool because you just see more overtakes, but it’s not real. It’s not what racing is about.”
While Verstappen acknowledges that some casual fans may enjoy the spectacle, he insists that the heart of racing is being lost to algorithm-driven energy management and artificial overtaking—a view that, he says, is being shared by more people with every race.
