Verstappen picks 'only qualifying needs tweaks' argument apart

Verstappen has been heavily critical of the current generation of Formula 1 cars during the first three rounds of the 2026 season. He previously compared racing to Mario Kart, and said that the current regulations can have long-lasting consequences for the series as well.

Currently, the competition is happy with the product, and only minor tweaks are expected ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, with the emphasis on a change in energy management to allow a full push in qualifying.

Verstappen said in Japan: "For me, it's all the same. Of course, in qualifying, you don't want to have this kind of lifting style. And there are a lot of other rules, it's not only about lifting, but also other rules where you can’t go flat, you have to lift or not, like, be close to flat and then put in a lift.

"I mean it's so confusing, everything. And that's not how it should be. It's all super sensitive. In qualifying to go faster you need to basically go slower," the four-time Formula 1 world champion concluded.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Gianpiero Lambiase would join McLaren no later than 2028. At the moment, Verstappen and Lambiase form one of the most well-known driver-race engineer partnerships in Formula 1.

After winning his first title in 2021, Verstappen underlined that once Lambiase quits, he would do so as well. In a different interview, 'GP' referred to Verstappen as his little brother.

In 2025, after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lambiase was emotional over the team radio. Throughout the season, he had to miss multiple Grands Prix due to personal reasons.

Verstappen said: "I’m very happy to be able to work with someone that passionate. Of course, he is my race engineer, but I see him as my friend. We have lived through so many emotional things together and fantastic achievements.