Max Verstappen has said he’s fed up with complaining about Formula 1’s current engines because “it’s hard enough having to drive” them.
Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of F1’s new engine formula, which has placed an unprecedented focus on battery harvesting and energy deployment and has completely changed the way drivers go racing.
The four-time world champion was voicing his concerns about the current set of regulations long before they came into force at the start of the year.
After qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix last week, Red Bull’s Verstappen quipped someone might “shoot” him if he was too critical about the cars again.
When asked on Thursday if there’s been pressure from Formula 1 to rein in his comments, Verstappen said: “No, I was joking about that one.
“I’ve spoken my mind about these regulations for a really long time. And in the beginning, most people were saying, ‘ah, he’s complaining, he should shut up.’ But I have to say that in the last few races, more and more people are seeing the same thing that I could see coming already a long time. And it’s not about me not winning anymore, it’s just because I care about the product.
“Because I’ve said it many, many times. And at one point, that’s also enough, right? But of course, people keep asking, and then maybe [the answer is] not appreciated always. But I’m just speaking my mind, because you see certain things coming.
“Sometimes people say, ‘ah, yeah, but this was a great race.’ But I say it’s not really realistic the way we are driving. And then you arrive to some tracks, and yeah, you’re driving on not a lot of horsepower for F1 standards. And it’s a little bit painful, which I could see coming already for years.
“So it’s not the most exciting. But at one point, I’m also a little bit just fed up with repeating myself. Because it’s already hard enough just having to drive it.”
Formula 1’s current engines feature a 50-50 split between conventional combustion power and the electrical elements.
The new rules have had a brutal reception from drivers and in response to the overwhelmingly negative feedback they gave, F1 has agreed to move change the rules to move to a 58-42 split in favour of combustion power next year, before 60-40 by 2028.
It remains to be seen whether those changes make the driving experience radically different.
One of the questions put to Verstappen on Thursday was about whether those changes will fundamentally change much and whether the immediate future will be about F1 drivers stomaching the bad experience of racing until 2030, Verstappen laughed and nodded.
“I mean, you’ve answered it for yourself,” he said. “It’s unfortunately what it is. And there’s not so much that you can do about it.”
