Max Verstappen is never short of opinions when it comes to Formula 1. The four-time world champion has once again made headlines with his candid insights on how he would change the sport if he were in charge. Speaking on the P1 with Matt and Tommy podcast, Verstappen opened up about his frustrations with the 2026 regulations and his vision for the future of F1.
Verstappen has long been a vocal critic of the 2026 engine regulations, which will introduce a 50-50 power split between internal combustion and electrical components. He even threatened to walk away from the sport over his dissatisfaction. While his stance has softened somewhat after F1 agreed to a phased transition towards a 60-40 balance favouring the internal combustion engine by 2028, the Dutchman is still not enjoying driving the 2026 cars. He believes the new rules have taken away the challenge of one-lap qualifying and limited the reward for committing in high-speed corners, leading to an "unnatural" driving style.
"Naturally when you go into some corners, you either keep it flat or you are just like feathering the throttle close to being flat, that's the worst thing you can do with these cars," Verstappen said. "That's actually where the strength can come from some drivers, being late on the brakes, early on throttle, a different kind of throttle input also. Now it's all about just trying to be as late as possible on throttle, or late as possible to full throttle. It's just really not race-oriented."
He added that fast drivers don't drive like that, and that's why in qualifying, you're stuck in a certain place where you almost physically can't make a difference because everyone drives in a certain way. "That's why the gaps are in general very small because some high-speed corners are not actually high-speed anymore because it's more efficient to lift and go later on throttle and have the deployment later on the straight."
Verstappen also highlighted the changes he wants in race weekend format. With an expanding calendar and more media and sponsor commitments than ever before, he wants a return to a more old-school approach that puts the emphasis back on racing itself. "F1 has of course changed quite a bit, more races, more I would say a little bit like a zoo in the paddock. It's a bit of a zoo. I didn't really see that coming that quickly," he said. "It's still racing, it's still the pinnacle. You actually don't drive a lot compared to what you do around the track."
So, what would the ideal race weekend look like for Verstappen? "Arrive Saturday morning, FP1, qualifying and then the race on Sunday," he explained. "I understand of course they have to monetise the Friday, they have to monetise the Saturday and the Sunday. So that's why I get that a Friday needs to be exciting, a Saturday needs to be exciting and a Sunday needs to be exciting."
Verstappen's views reflect the broader tension between tradition and commercialisation in modern F1. With the FIA and Liberty Media continuously seeking ways to expand the sport's reach, the voices of drivers like Verstappen are crucial to ensuring the essence of racing is preserved. Whether his proposed changes will come to fruition remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Verstappen will not stop speaking his mind.
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