Max Verstappen’s frustration
Starting 19th and finishing 6th would be a satisfying result for anyone, if only Max Verstappen in the not-too-distant past hadn’t done even better. And if only the same Dutch Red Bull driver hadn’t on several occasions shown all his disappointment at the driving style he is forced into by the power units of the regulatory revolution: he did it at the tests, speaking of “Formula E on steroids”, he did it yesterday after qualifying, explaining how unnaturally and unfunny these cars are to drive (especially on a flying lap). It is therefore logical to expect words of this same tenor even at the end of the Australian GP which saw him climb back from the back to finish in the exhausts of his friend-rival Lando Norris.
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The comeback does not satisfy Super Max
“Yes, obviously the overtakes were fun – Max Verstappen explains to Sky – but most of the cars were two seconds slower than mine, and so it was simply a matter of doing a bit of… cleaning on the track. It’s a bit strange to have to say it, but that’s how I saw it, they aren’t fair fights. I just tried to be as clean as possible in my driving and find my rhythm, but at a certain point when I got clear of the midfield cars, I had too much tire degradation. There was a lot of graining and this compromised the rest of the race. We thought that with the harder Pirellis it would have gone better for us, but it didn’t work”.
The new attack on the 2026 rules
Still at the interview ring, but speaking with the international media, the four-time world champion then doubled down on the quality of Formula 1 racing: “I think the FIA should worry about these rules, let’s focus on that. They ask me questions and I express my opinion on what I would like to see and what I think is best for this sport, because I really care. I love racing, I wish it were better than this and so let’s see what we can do. Drivers or fans, we just want the best for Formula 1, it’s not that we are critical just for the sake of being so. We wanted it to be real F1, not a version on steroids but today, once again, it wasn’t like that”.
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“So am I thinking about retirement? No. As I said I love racing, although there is a limit to everything, right? I think the FIA and F1 are willing to listen, but I hope that they also move to action” concluded Max Verstappen, inviting the institutions that manage the sport to take action by intervening quickly on the current set of rules.
