Max Verstappen’s father has come forward with a blunt defense: people were laughing at Max when he first voiced concerns about the 2026 F1 cars.
This year’s challengers are built under a fresh regulatory framework that changes aerodynamics and power-unit design. Yet the new machines have left Verstappen unimpressed, with him labeling them "Formula E on steroids" and "anti-racing" during pre-season testing. The cars now demand heavy management of energy harvesting and deployment, a dynamic that heavily influences lap times.
In an interview with Viaplay, Jos Verstappen argued that Max’s concerns aren’t new. "Max was talking about this two or three years ago," he said.
"He looked at some data, but back then everyone was laughing at him. They dismissed him as negative. Now the regulations are visible to all, so perhaps people should pay a bit more attention to what the drivers are saying. But they don’t."
Rounding out the chatter from pre-season, issues like the starting procedure and wheel-to-wheel racing with the updated cars have been raised by drivers across testing. Verstappen has suggested that many of these headaches could have been avoided had decision-makers sought driver input earlier.
"I understand that drivers shouldn’t decide everything," the four-time champion acknowledged.
"But when it comes to obvious racing-related issues, or when we can provide advice— even by jumping into simulators to test things—you end up uncovering problems that aren’t obvious at first glance. That’s why sometimes F1 or the FIA doesn’t fully grasp how valuable a driver’s perspective can be in shaping decisions."
