Max Verstappen never raced a V8 Formula 1 car. Yet he knows exactly how those engines rattled the paddock when he was a kid, wandering between garages and pit lane. In an interview with BBC, the Red Bull driver expressed a deep nostalgia for the F1 of old: light, responsive, and above all, loud.
“I want to feel the chills, the noise, the goosebumps of V8 engines again, like I did as a child,” Verstappen said. He never actually competed with V8s—his F1 debut in 2015 came with turbo-hybrid power units. But as a paddock kid, he grew up with the screaming engines that are now just memories.
For Verstappen, the main issue with modern F1 isn’t top speed. “I don’t care if we go 300 km/h instead of 350-360 km/h. F1 must return to V8s, at least for drivability. We need light cars that respond instantly to driver inputs,” he stressed. To him, the heavy weight of today’s cars is more bothersome than the top speed figures.
He even has his own ideal “recipe”. “The previous generation power units are also horrible compared to a V8, which is the best for a race car. I would reduce batteries to a minimum, just to have some sort of push-to-pass, and exclude the turbo to avoid turbo-lag,” he added. Verstappen’s vision is an F1 that returns to its roots: simple engines, piercing sound, and raw sensation.
This isn’t just nostalgia. Verstappen, a long-time critic of F1’s direction, echoes the unease of many fans and drivers. The turbo-hybrid era brought advanced technology but is seen as diluting pure racing sensation. Cars became heavier, sound smoother, and physical challenge altered.
Red Bull, his team, is currently focused on developing its own power unit for 2026. However, Verstappen clearly hopes for a philosophical shift. “The emotions from the roar of the cars in the pit when I was a child were on another level. It gave you goosebumps,” he recalled. For him, F1 must become a thrilling spectacle again, not just a contest of energy efficiency.
Will Verstappen’s wish come true? The 2026 regulations will actually increase electric power and keep the turbo. But a driver of Verstappen’s stature voicing this at least signals an unfulfilled longing. And if there’s one thing that can unite fans and drivers, it’s the thunderous sound of an engine.
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