Verstappen continues F1 car criticism away from the track

The four-time World Champion and Red Bull have struggled at the start of the 2026 campaign, sitting well behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, while also facing pressure from their sister team Racing Bulls and Alpine.

A retirement at the Chinese Grand Prix came between a P7 finish in Australia and a P8 finish in Suzuka, leaving the Dutchman P9 in the standings with just 12 points from the opening three Grands Prix.

As a result, Verstappen has been highly critical of the new 50/50 split between engine and electrical power, continually likening F1 racing to a game of Mario Kart.

Now, the 28-year-old has continued to comment on battery power and ‘Mario Kart’-style elements in 2026 racing during a livestream.

Throughout his online broadcast, Verstappen took many digs at F1, including lines like: "Full push, no lift. You can't do that in F1, though!", and "He used the mushroom button," joking about the overtake and boost buttons used by drivers.formu

A disappointing start to the 2026 season and a dislike for the current state of racing resulted in Max Verstappen's father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, stating that his son might be slowly losing his motivation in the premier class of motorsport.

At Suzuka, a shocking Q2 exit for Verstappen then led him to admit that early retirement was on the cards, saying there is "a lot of stuff for me to personally figure out."

The Dutchman then admitted that a decision would be made in the near future: "I’ll use the coming weeks, months for that.”