Max Verstappen reckons it’s too late to make tweaks to the 2026 Formula 1 regulations despite Carlos Sainz calling for the FIA to listen to feedback and be fluid with any changes.
This year, F1 is debuting what’s arguably its biggest regulation overhaul in history with changes to both the chassis and power unit, the latter of which is the biggest point of contention.
That’s because it’s now more reliant on electrical energy with a near-50:50 split against the internal combustion engine, meaning that battery management will play a greater role in races – leading to drivers potentially downshifting on straights.
So it obviously goes against any techniques they have previously utilised and this has split the grid: Lando Norris called it “a lot of fun”, whereas Verstappen claimed it’s “anti-racing” and like “Formula E on steroids”.
The four-time world champion has been the biggest critic of these regulations, amid worries that they could be too complicated for the average Joe watching. But, it might also excite the fans given the races are expected to be more chaotic with drivers “yo-yoing” for position.
It was, nonetheless, put to the grid ahead of this weekend’s Melbourne season opener and Sainz said: “It could go both ways. That’s why evaluating and trying to predict how it will be on TV before it even happens, I think it’s not worth it.
“Let’s see, whatever rules we’ve come up with for this year, let’s put them on track and then evaluate. The only thing I’ve told Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] and the FIA is that we need to be open-minded if the first race is, or the first two or three races is, because China will be different and Japan will be different again.
“Give it maybe two or three examples, and then if clearly there’s something off, something wrong, I hope we are able to change.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Sainz’s comment was subsequently put to Verstappen, who downplayed the chance of any changes occurring as the new ruleset was years in the making and is due to continue until at least 2030.
“We’re a bit late with that,” said the Red Bull star. “The amount of money that has been invested into these regulations, it will be around for a while. You could have seen this coming. That suddenly now things are raised, it’s a bit late.”
But one change that has been mooted is increasing super clipping – when cars harvest despite at full throttle – from 250kW to 350kW to prevent drivers being forced into too many “unnatural things” regarding energy management, such as lift and coast.
Yet Verstappen, again, is unsure if this’ll improve the regulations due to how circuit characteristics will be more influential this year with some tracks easier to harvest on than others.
“I don’t know,” said the Dutchman. “It also just depends a lot on the track layout as well. You can reduce the power, but then of course you also go slower in lap times.
“So I’m not sure. It’s a difficult subject to actually say this is the best thing with what we have at the moment. I guess that’s why they also just want to see how it goes here in the first place, but it’s all pretty complicated.”
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