Miami, is it a new F1?
There was curiosity to understand how cars and drivers would react to the long list of changes decided by F1 and the Federation to improve the 2026 regulations starting from Miami. After the Sprint, several of the protagonists on track did not want to take a stance and remained cautious, arguing that the peculiarity of the Miami circuit is not the best test bench to evaluate real progress in this regard. The feeling is that a small step forward has been made anyway.
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Verstappen’s opinion has not essentially changed
There was a lot of curiosity to understand what Max Verstappen’s judgment would be, especially after the regained competitiveness of Red Bull – which allowed him to qualify second and today will make him start from the front row.
Were the heavy criticisms from the Dutchman in recent weeks due to Red Bull’s disappointing competitiveness or were they sincere?
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In the statements collected by colleagues from GPBlog, Verstappen’s thought seemed clear: “The car itself is fine, you can race quite well. You just have to move away from the current 55:45 ratio and go back to how it was before. And therefore to 75-80% in favor of the thermal engine. These discussions are always a political matter, because everyone tries to gain some advantage. I only think about how our sport could improve. Simply we have to eliminate some things, like the fact that pushing longer on the accelerator then penalizes on the straight“.
So Verstappen remains doubtful: “My criticism of the regulations remains the same. I don’t care if I am second or eighth. Personally now the driving feeling is a bit more pleasant, but a solution still needs to be found”.
