Following a disastrous weekend in China, where Max Verstappen scored zero points and retired from the Grand Prix, the Dutchman lashed out yet again over F1's 2026 regulations.

The four time world champion said F1 2026 is "not fun at all, no. It's playing Mario Kart. This is not racing," but has been met with criticism and opposing views from pundits and fellow drivers.

Ralf Schumacher told Verstappen to help the struggling Red Bull team and "stop whining" while former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said the 28-year-old "throws the toys out of the pram" when things are not going his way.

Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar disagreed with his teammate's recent comments, telling media, including GPblog, that: "To be fair, no. The racing is not too bad," while long-time rival Lewis Hamilton claimed that 2026 has seen "the best racing that I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1."

Meanwhile, GPblog could report that Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies boarded Verstappen's private jet, alongside key figures of the Milton Keynes team, following the torrid weekend in China.

Mekies cancelled his usual post-race media session claiming he had to catch a flight, but departed on board the private jet, along with Verstappen, technical director Pierre Waché, Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen, and Head of Racing Gianpiero Lambiase, a few hours after the race.

It is unclear what exactly was discussed on the private jet, but Red Bull would surely have no shortage of talking points after Verstappen went point-less on a Chinese GP Sprint weekend, and suffered technical and drivability issues.

The Austrian outfit now have two weeks to get on top of their issues before F1 returns for the Japanese Grand Prix.

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