Verstappen criticises ground effect regulations: "Don't rate things in terms of results"
A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
The ground effect regulations were introduced in 2022 to level the playing field in F1, since there's only so much downforce and performance you can extract from the current era of Formula One cars. Max Verstappen, the most successful driver under this set of aerodynamic regulations, is not its biggest fan.
While Verstappen has enjoyed tremendous success since 2022 racking up pole positions, wins and clinching each world title up until now, he's not happy with the current state of aeordynamic affairs in Formula 1. "In terms of success, it's been good to me. In terms of driving, it's honestly not been the most fun, I would say," said the Dutchman ahead of the F1 75 Live event to select media, amongst which was GPblog.
What would Verstappen rather be driving? "I prefer the older cars," stated the four-time world champion plainly. Why? The current cars are very picky and any type of change on the surface of the track disturbes the airflow underneath the car which often results in a momentarily balance change, and may induce understeer and oversteer, all in the same corner even, as the Dutchman reported many times across the 2024 season.
Verstappen's success doesn't influence his judgement
"Also, physically, with the bumps, it's not as fun riding the curbs. Every track now needs to be super smooth, I would say, which is a bit of a shame. It's been good to me in terms of results, but I don't like to rate things because of results. Driving-wise, it's so-so, I would say. It's still a Formula 1 car, don't get me wrong, it's still very fast, but I do think 2020, 2021, those cars were a bit more agile, I would say," concluded Verstappen.
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