Max Verstappen didn’t hold back after the Chinese Grand Prix, openly criticizing the new Formula 1 cars for 2026. The Red Bull Racing driver stated that driving the 2026 cars is “totally not fun.” “Anyone who enjoys this doesn’t understand what racing is about. It feels like playing Mario Kart. This isn’t racing,” Verstappen said.
The comments came after a difficult weekend for the 28-year-old Dutchman. He lost points in the sprint race due to a poor start, and struggled again off the line in the Grand Prix. He appeared to be making progress until a cooling issue with the ERS system forced him to retire from the race.
Max Verstappen was na de race in China niet te spreken over de nieuwe F1-auto’s en de manier waarop geracet wordt.
Foto door: Lars Baron / Getty Images
Despite the disappointing result, Verstappen clarified that his criticism of the 2026 F1 regulations wasn’t tied to his performance on the track. “As I said, this has nothing to do with racing. I would say that even if I were winning races, as I care about the product that racing is,” Verstappen emphasized. “It’s not about me being upset about where I’m running, because actually I’m even fighting more now. That’s why you understand even better what you need to do and what it’s all about.”
Audi team boss Jonathan Wheatley, formerly the sporting director at Red Bull Racing, offered a different perspective, suggesting Red Bull’s recent struggles may be influencing Verstappen’s comments.
“If you spoke to the two Ferrari drivers, they would say it was a great day,” Wheatley told Motorsport.com and other outlets. “If you can’t win, but you can still race well…”
“I have to say, it didn’t look like a sort of fake race to me at all,” Wheatley added. “Every driver was trying it with the other one. They were racing nicely and cleanly. I enjoyed watching it. We find battles in the field that I think are very encouraging. I think you can as well understand Max’s comments, and that comes from the position he’s in.”
Open to Adjustments
When asked about Audi’s position amid discussions about potential adjustments to the regulations, Wheatley clarified: “We are open and in conversation with the FIA. During the last day of testing in Bahrain, we tried various solutions to see what the effect would be. I think that says it all: we are open, we are working with the FIA.”
“We are trying to look at whether You can do anything to support them. If something needs to change, we will do our best to help the FIA make that possible.”
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