{"id":1765740,"date":"2026-02-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1765740"},"modified":"2026-02-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T21:00:00","slug":"max-verstappen-has-gone-in-with-two-feet-on-the-new-f1-cars-and-formula-e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1765740","title":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen has gone in with two feet on the new F1 cars\u2026 and Formula E"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s being called one of the biggest regulation changes in the history of the sport<\/a>, but not everyone is a fan of the new 2026 F1 rules. In fact, after day two of testing in Bahrain, four-time champ Max Verstappen described the new cars<\/a> as \u201cjust not Formula 1\u201d.<\/p>\n

“The right word is management,\u201d said Verstappen in his first press conference of 2026 according to BBC Sport<\/a>. \u201cBut on the other hand, I also know how much work has been going on in the background. Also from the engine side, for the guys. So, it’s not always the nicest thing to say.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“But I also want to be realistic. As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dutchman also managed to stick the boot in on all-electric racing there at the same time. Start the year as you mean to go on, Max.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAs a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There’s a lot going on. A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, that’s just not Formula 1. Maybe it’s better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy efficiency and management. That’s what they stand for. Driving-wise, it’s not so fun.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI just want normal driving, just how it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given Verstappen\u2019s recent appearances at the N\u00fcrburgring in GT cars<\/a>, Red Bull bosses might be starting to worry that he\u2019ll jump ship completely. Of course, reining champ Lando Norris wouldn\u2019t be too disappointed if that were to be the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny driver can go and find something else to do. It’s not like he has to be here, or any driver has to be here,\u201d said the Briton in response to Verstappen\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed it. Formula 1 changes all the time. Sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes not as good to drive. But we get paid a stupid amount of money to drive so we can’t really complain at the end of the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt’s a challenge, but it’s a good, fun challenge for the engineers and the drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

That challenge is mostly coming from the new power units which feature a near 50:50 split between petrol and electric power, meaning energy recovery is the talk of the paddock<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at Barcelona, for example, we’re doing 600 metres lift and coast on a qualifying lap,\u201d said Lewis Hamilton. \u201cThat’s not what racing is about. Here (in Bahrain), we’re not having to do that because there’s lots of braking zones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton also described the new cars as \u201cridiculously complex\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s being called one of the biggest regulation changes in the history of the sport, but not everyone is a fan of the new 2026 F1 rules. In fact, after day two of testing in Bahrain, four-time champ Max Verstappen described the new cars as \u201cjust not Formula 1\u201d. “The right word is management,\u201d said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1765740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1765740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1765740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1765740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1765740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1765740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1765740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}