Max Verstappen says he is tired of repeating the same criticism of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, insisting more drivers now share his concerns.
Max Verstappen has had enough. The four-time Formula 1 world champion has been criticising the 2026 cars for months – and now feels vindicated. Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Red Bull star once again took aim at the new regulations and could not resist a swipe at Martin Brundle.
The former Formula 1 driver, who earlier this year urged Verstappen to either stop complaining or leave Formula 1, has since become one of the strongest critics of the new generation of cars himself. Following the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Brundle even admitted that the sight of the cars “brought tears to my eyes”.
Verstappen feels vindicated
Verstappen had warned about the problems with the new power unit regulations long before the season began. After the latest races, he believes those concerns have been proven correct.
“I shared my opinion about these regulations a long time ago. At first it was always: ‘There he goes complaining again, he should just keep quiet.’ But over the last few races, more and more people have started seeing exactly what I saw coming a long time ago.”
The Dutchman insists his criticism has nothing to do with his current sporting situation.
“It’s not about the fact that I’m no longer winning. It’s about the product.”
“It’s hard enough just driving the cars”
Verstappen is particularly frustrated that he has to keep repeating the same criticism.
“I’ve said it so many times. At some point, enough is enough. But people keep asking, and then they might not like the answer.”
The Red Bull driver is especially critical of the current energy management.
“Some people say, ‘That was a great race.’ But I say that the way we’re driving is not realistic. At some circuits, we’re running with very little power by Formula 1 standards. That’s painful.”
He concluded with his clearest verdict yet: “I’m getting tired of repeating myself all the time. It’s hard enough just driving these cars.”
Criticism continues to grow
Following the Belgian Grand Prix, more and more drivers and experts have voiced similar concerns. Much of the criticism is aimed at the high proportion of electric power, which leads to significant power losses on certain circuits.
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Formula 1 and the FIA have already responded by announcing plans to gradually increase the share of combustion-engine power over the coming years. Whether that will solve the underlying issues remains to be seen.
For Verstappen, however, one thing is clear: he has been warning about these problems for a long time – and now feels increasingly supported by others throughout the paddock.
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