Verstappen, long speech against the new rules
What was seen at Spa-Francorchamps, between exaggerated super clipping and power unit software that took unknown paths to the teams, certainly wasn’t the best possible advertisement for the 2026 regulations.
And several drivers have spoken out publicly, exasperated and frustrated by what is happening. Max Verstappen in the Budapest paddock emphasized: “In recent races, more and more people are seeing what I had predicted a long time ago. I wasn’t saying it because I wasn’t winning anymore, but only because I care about this sport”.
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Verstappen then started a long back-and-forth with journalists, in which he spoke very openly about his point of view and public perception: “Sometimes people say it was a fantastic race and I reply that the way we are racing is not really realistic. On some tracks we drive with power not appropriate for F1 standards and it’s not the most fun”.
Max, champion of true enthusiasts
The four-time world champion continued: “These overtakes I don’t like much. Sometimes it’s fun to see the car in front completely drain its battery and you overtake it without literally doing anything. I prefer to overtake under braking, whereas now they happen in the middle of the straights”.
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Verstappen then went on a rant: “The problem is that true racing enthusiasts understand it. Those who are not true racing enthusiasts think it’s cool to see more overtakes, but they are not real. This is not the spirit of racing”. Certainly a phrase that will remain among the most iconic of the entire season.
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The more technical aspects
Max Verstappen also spoke about the unpredictable power delivery: “There’s not much we can do, for us drivers it’s not natural. It’s a matter of acceleration: sometimes if you’re faster in a corner, then you lose on the next straight. In every championship you gain in corners… Now instead you have to think about using a different gear, changing braking technique or the way you get back on the throttle. In practice, you end up nullifying much of the lap time. That’s why there are often close battles: because sometimes it’s not possible to make a difference”.
