Verstappen: 2026 Overtakes Feel Fake, 'Funny' to Pass Without Effort

Max Verstappen has once again aimed a sharp critique at the direction of Formula 1 in 2026. The four-time world champion admits he often finds it amusing to watch rivals battle intensely ahead of him, only to breeze past them with minimal effort.

This phenomenon, dubbed 'yo-yo racing', stems from new technical regulations that force drivers to carefully manage their energy deployment. On one hand, they must save energy to overtake; on the other, using too much leaves them vulnerable to being passed back. The result is constant position swaps, creating an illusion of overtaking that Verstappen believes is misleading.

"It's different, and I don't really enjoy it that much," said Max Verstappen to media, including RacingNews365. "Sometimes, it is actually very funny when you see people in front of you fighting; they're using their battery, and actually by doing nothing, you just pass them. You just pass them on the next straight by literally doing nothing."

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He explained that with the wings open and reduced drag while following, he can simply sail past. "You have the wings open everywhere and reduce the drag a lot whilst following, and it is done for obvious reasons, but I prefer to drive up to someone, and then maybe go for an overtake on the brakes," he insisted.

For him, the real overtaking moment happens in the corners, not mid-straight. "Now, overtaking is done in the middle of a straight, so it is a bit odd. The problem is that the real racing fans understand. The non-racing fans think it is cool because you just see more overtakes, but it is not real. It is not what racing is about," concluded the Red Bull Racing driver.

This criticism comes amid a still-hot 2026 season, with Lewis Hamilton and other rivals fighting closely. Verstappen's remarks underscore his concern that modern F1 is losing the true art of battling, even as overtake numbers statistically increase.