Max Verstappen throws F1 future into doubt over ‘anti-racing’ rules

The Dutch driver stressed it was not about top speed but about driving flat out.

“I don’t care if I’m going 350kph or 300kph,” he said. “I don’t think we should say, because we’re going 350kph, that’s perfect. You know? I just want normal driving. How it should be. Without having to go, ‘Oh, if I brake a bit longer… or less or more… or one gear up or down…’ you know, that it so heavily impacts the performance on the straights, and stuff like that.”

Verstappen has frequently said in the past that he will only stay in Formula One for as long as he is having fun. The Red Bull driver competed in sports cars last year and has spoken of driving in the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year.

Asked whether these new rules might hasten his departure from the sport, or whether winning races in this formula might get him to change his mind, the 28-year-old gave a response which will concern the sport’s rulers.

“Winning, for me… that doesn’t matter. It needs to be fun to drive as well, I think, at this stage of my career.

“I mean, I am of course also exploring other things outside of Formula One to have fun at. Yeah I mean, I know that we’re stuck with this regulation for quite a while. So, yeah. Let’s see.”

Organisers of the Nürburgring 24hrs (May 16–17) have already tweaked their calendar to allow Verstappen to take part in one of the early season Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) rounds, bringing NLS2 forward by a week to avoid a clash with the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen said he appreciated the effort and hoped to drive in both that round and the main event in May, most likely at the wheel of a Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.

“I mean, looking at it now, at least maybe you can drive flat out there, you know? Without looking after my battery.

“I mean, I want to do it. We are working on it to make it happen, but I cannot confirm it yet. But it’s great, of course, from the organisers, that they change the date [of NLS2] because I think if I do it, of course, I need one race in preparation compared to guys that have been doing it for a while and have a bit more experience.”

On Wednesday, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton described the new regulations as “ridiculously complex”, adding you would “need a degree to fully understand it all”.

Going back to F1’s new rules, Verstappen concluded: “Probably people will not be happy with me saying this right now, but I am outspoken and why am I not allowed to say what I think of my race car? I can’t help that. I mean, I didn’t write the regulations.”

‘If he wants to retire, then retire!’

Lando Norris later responded to Verstappen’s comments, saying he found the new cars “a lot of fun” and adding that the Dutchman was welcome to retire if he was no longer enjoying himself.

McLaren’s new world champion added that, in his opinion, F1’s drivers had “nothing to complain about”.

“I really enjoyed it so... if he wants to retire, he can retire!” Norris said. “Formula One changes all the time. Sometimes it is a bit better to drive, sometimes not so good to drive. But I mean, we get paid a stupid amount of money to drive so you can’t really complain at the end of the day.

“Any driver can go and find something else to do. It’s not like he has to be here, or any driver has to be here. It’s a challenge, but it’s a good, fun challenge for the engineers, for the drivers.

“It’s different. You have to drive in a different way and understand things differently, and manage things differently. But you still get to drive cars, and travel the world and have a lot of fun, so nothing to complain about.”

Norris – who said Red Bull were “a good step” ahead of McLaren for the moment – added that he still expected Verstappen to be just as committed on the track. “I don’t expect Max is going to go out and not give a s---,” he said. “He’s going to try to win. He’s just not going to smile as much maybe.”

He also suggested the handling and speed of these cars would improve in time.

“It’s still early days. If you fast forward to the end of this year and into next year we’re going to be going a lot quicker. But everyone can have their own opinions and he didn’t like it and I liked it.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace on day two with a lap of 1min 34.273sec, 0.511sec ahead of Norris in the McLaren. Testing times are a notoriously unreliable indicator of true performance, but one team who do appear to be struggling are Aston Martin. The new Adrian Newey-designed car was 14th fastest of 15 cars in the hands of double world champion Fernando Alonso, nearly four seconds off the pace and only faster than new team Cadillac.

Lance Stroll did little to dispel the sense of doom in his chat with the media on Thursday afternoon, saying there were a whole host of issues, including engine, balance and grip.

“I don’t know,” he added when asked whether Aston Martin could catch up by Melbourne. “I mean, right now we look like we’re four seconds off the top teams, 4½ seconds.

“[It’s] impossible to know what fuel loads and everything people are running but, yeah, now we need to try to find four seconds of performance, so we’ll see.”

All bets are off for Verstappen’s F1 future if new regulations mean he cannot just race

When Max Verstappen arrived at Red Bull’s paddock home in Bahrain at 6.30pm local time on Thursday, just as the second day of pre-testing was winding down, there was little indication the four-time world champion was about to throw a massive grenade into preparations for the 2026 season.

Because that is absolutely what he has done.

Formula One has tried so hard to steer the narrative before the start of the biggest regulation reset in the sport’s history. Conscious that increased electrification and the necessity for constant ‘energy management’ from drivers might upset the purists, they have been at pains to stress the positives of this new style of racing. And to get teams to do likewise.

Mostly, they have toed the line. At the McLaren Technology Centre last week, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were both asked whether this new formula was “still F1”. Both said it was. Different, yes. But still F1.

Lewis Hamilton started to veer off script on Wednesday when he remarked that these cars felt slower than F2 cars and added that “you needed a degree” for a full understanding of what is going on. But at least Hamilton said the cars were “quite fun” to drive.

Verstappen went nuclear. “Anti-racing”. “No fun”. “Not F1”. He is going to have to work hard to get back on Stefano Domenicali’s Christmas card list after that holy trinity.

It was bad enough when he bad mouthed the Las Vegas race – which is, uniquely, promoted by F1 – comparing it with a “circus” on its debut three years ago. On that occasion a combination of F1, his then team principal, Christian Horner, and his father, Jos, all pleaded with the young world champion to tone down the criticism in the interests of the sport. But no one can put a muzzle on Max. It is what makes him so box office.

Is he serious about his threat to quit early? Very possibly. Verstappen has a Red Bull contract until the end of 2028. But if he is not enjoying it, all bets are off. He is richer than Croesus, has already won multiple world titles, and hates all the politics. He just wants to race. It was noticeable how much he perked up on Thursday when discussing sports cars.

One thing is certain, Verstappen’s scathing criticism is going to cause a big headache for F1, triggering widespread debate about the sport’s direction of travel.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]