At the end of the second day of testing in Bahrain, Max Verstappen shared his honest opinion about the new Formula 1 regulations, and it is fair to say he is far from impressed. Speaking during the English-language media session, he described the package as “anti-racing” and “Formula E on steroids”.
In the Dutch media session that followed, he went a step further and revealed that he found the car so unpleasant to drive that last year he told Red Bull that he did not even want to continue testing the 2026 machinery in the simulator.
The feeling in real life is the same as in the simulator. Sometimes certain things feel a bit better or worse in the simulator, but this time it was actually the same. I have to say: at Red Bull, they sorted that out very quickly, having the simulator on point. So I knew very soon that I didn’t really need to spend too much time in it!
Although the last part was said with a smile, Verstappen made clear that he actually meant it seriously.
“Last year, at one point, I deliberately said that I didn’t want to drive it in the simulator any more. It felt so bad compared to last year, so I thought: You know what, I’ll just focus on last year’s car in the sim and we’ll see about the rest this year. It’s just not good.”
To begin with, you are very inefficient on the straights in terms of energy. On this track it’s not too bad, but we’re also going to circuits where it will be a real drama. And then there’s the entire feeling in the car in terms of grip and how you have to drive it – it’s just not fun.”
It feels unnatural to the four-time world champion. George Russell has already explained that drivers will have to approach things more tactically. The fastest way through a corner is no longer necessarily the best approach for overall lap time. You might gain two tenths in a corner, but because you recover less energy, drivers can lose three tenths on the straights.
“Yes, it’s more or less like that. And that just makes no sense at all, right? In certain corners and at certain circuits, you’re better off going through a corner a bit slower to recover more energy for the straight. Sorry, but that belongs in Formula E.”