Verstappen wants to get rid of 'tricks' in F1: 'That's more important to me'

Another major change in technical regulations awaits Formula 1 in 2026. For Red Bull Racing, which will team up with Ford to produce its own engines, battery charging is a concern. Team boss Christian Horner spoke out about this earlier, but even Max Verstappen was not yet completely satisfied with what he saw in the simulator. Ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the Dutchman let us know how he currently stands.

Verstappen critical of F1 plans for 2026

Last year, Verstappen was less than enthusiastic about the data from the simulations his team had run because of the new regulations for 2026. That had everything to do with the fact that drivers would have to downshift much earlier on the straight because that would be faster over the entire lap. The Dutchman stressed that the team that manages to build the strongest engine will have a huge advantage.

However, that is not the only thing Verstappen is worried about. "I think we'll have to deal with some compromises on some tracks, where you use a lot of energy per lap. And of course, you know, with the potential like active aero and stuff. I'm not sure if we should head in that direction. That's what it's looking like at the moment. Hopefully, we can optimise all these kinds of things," he said at the Suzuka Circuit.

Verstappen expresses concerns about rule changes F1

"For me, it's more important to just try and fight the weight of the cars, try and optimise that instead of all these tools and tricks to try and help the overtaking or following. There must be different ways to be able to do it. I guess, also, with the engine regulation that they went into, they kind of need to do that to create the top speed and basically you know where the battery stops deploying and stuff," Verstappen explained.

"Some tracks will work a bit better some tracks probably be a bit more on the edge. Of course, people will try to counter my arguments but I guess we'll find out anyway and in ‘26, but also I'm not really thinking, of course, too much about it because we have a lot of work in the seasons up until ‘26. But we'll see if we can improve it a bit," the three-time world champion said.