Max Verstappen slams ‘joke’ F1 cars as Red Bull confirm RB22 problem | F1 | Sport
Max Verstappen renewed his attack on the new generation of Formula 1 cars, claiming they will “eventually ruin the sport”. His comments came after a wretched Chinese Grand Prix from which he was forced to retire with 10 laps remaining, the Dutchman taking the opportunity in his post-race interviews to tell F1 chiefs that the current regulations “will come and bite them back in the ass”.
Verstappen has been among the most vocal critics of the 2026 regulations and the cars which are powered by hybrid engines which rely on more electrical energy than ever before. DRS has also been replaced by ‘overtake mode’ and battery management has become a crucial part of racing, leading to far more overtaking but critics say it is artificial.
Verstappen counts himself among those who feel the current state of the sport is not what F1 racing should be about. He had a miserable weekend in Shanghai, finishing only ninth in the Sprint and having to retire from the Grand Prix to ensure he will leave China pointless. And he took the opportunity after Sunday’s race to again advocate for a change of direction going forward.
He said: “I think [FOM and the FIA] understand where we are coming from as drivers, and I think I speak for most of the drivers. Some, of course, will say it’s great because they are winning races, which is fair enough. When you have an advantage, why would you give that up? Because you never know if you’re going to have a good car again.
“But if you just speak to most of the drivers, it’s not what we like. I don’t think it’s what the real F1 fans like. Maybe some fans like it, but they don’t understand racing. But hopefully we can get rid of this… It will eventually ruin the sport. It will come and bite them back in the ass.
“For me, as long as we can just communicate with them and make sure that we are working on some solutions that will help a lot, but it’s also going to be very difficult for everyone to agree. Of course, not everyone needs to agree, but most of the people have to agree to make changes. But, like I said, it’s political. Some people feel they have the advantage now, and, of course, they want to use that, rightly.”
At the start of both races in Shanghai, Verstappen struggled to get off the line and lost a lot of places heading into the first corner, forcing him to fight back to gain positions. He managed that, though, and looked on course for a sixth-placed finish until the radio message came from race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to return to the pits to retire.
It was not immediately clear what the nature of the problem that had been picked up by Red Bull‘s sensors was. But a team spokesperson has now confirmed that Verstappen’s RB22 had suffered a coolant failure in the energy recovery system (ERS), forcing them to end their race early to protect the engine and car from further damage.
