Verstappen's teammate fires back at Steiner over ‘confusing’ F1 regulation criticism

The Spanish driver took to social media to criticise Steiner, who serves as CEO and co-owner of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 MotoGP and Moto3 team. Earlier, Steiner had pushed back on Verstappen’s criticism of the current Formula 1 regulation.

The former Haas F1 team boss detailed that if the Red Bull Racing driver had been winning through the start of the regulation, he would have been less vocal about his disdain for the current Formula 1 regulation. Reacting to the words from Steiner, Juncadella on his X account highlighted how Verstappen had particularly expressed his concerns and worries about the current regulations since the 2023 campaign, before including a cheeky conclusion to his comments about a MotoGP team boss knowing better than the four-time champion on the current regulations.

“Guy has warned everyone about the new regs since 2023 but the head of the consortium that acquired the Tech3 MotoGP team knows better 👍🏼,” Juncadella wrote.

Juncadella’s words weren’t the only response Steiner’s criticism attracted, as more individuals within the Verstappen camp, including the father of the Red Bull Racing driver, Jos Verstappen, also took aim at Steiner following his remark.

The former F1 driver and current rally driver was also quick to defend his son, noting how Steiner’s words largely speak volumes about his axing from the Haas F1 outfit.

“Hi, Guenther. I understand why you are not an F1 team boss anymore. The way you talk,” Verstappen Sr noted.

Steiner witnessed his over-a-decade-long involvement brought to an end in 2023 at the Haas F1 outfit. Since then, Steiner has switched to the MotoGP paddock, focusing on the Tech3 project.

In the aftermath of the Canadian Grand Prix, and despite finishing on the podium, Verstappen argued that Formula 1’s current regulations are not what created the great racing he was involved in with Lewis Hamilton.

According to the four-time world champion, competitive battles would still exist even in “rental cars”. The Red Bull Racing driver, who has often been outspoken about the rulebook, continued his criticism in Montreal when asked about the increasing tactical use of battery deployment and how much of a second nature it was becoming.

“I mean, for me, even this season, of course, I’ve been racing also different kinds of cars and especially last week, that reminds me how pure motorsport can be and how great the racing can be. So, yeah, when I come back into Formula 1, the thing is, of course, here, especially most of the drivers, we’re the best in the world,” Verstappen explained to the media.

“So even if you were to give us a rental car, we’d give you a good show, and we’d race each other very hard and well. So it has nothing to do with the rules in that sense. But for me, while driving, yeah, it’s all a bit confusing. It’s not what Formula 1 should be about. It’s way too complex, all of this,” he added.

“Most of the rules, the fans don’t even know what we are dealing with while driving, what is allowed when you’re behind or when you’re the car ahead, what we have to do on a formation lap or what we have to do on an out-lap, or how much battery we’re allowed to charge. All these things are just such a shame that we have to deal with,” he concluded.