Verstappen pokes fun that those drivers complaining of 'dangerous' starts

Max Verstappen reckons those drivers who complained of the ‘dangerous’ starts should begin F1 races from the pitlane.

The Dutchman made the joke after he and Lewis Hamilton defended this season’s new F1 cars that are powered by a 50:50 ratio of electric and combustion engine.

The removal of the MGU-H from the 2026 power units mean drivers have to speed up their turbos to eliminate lag, which is a time consuming process and sees cars revved to their maximum before dropping the clutch and pulling away.

However, drivers have to be careful not to over-rev the engine which could cause the car to stall, leading to concerns that a botched start could cause an accident.

However, Verstappen and seven-time champion Hamilton rubbished the suggestion it was dangerous.

"It is definitely not dangerous, and I think we should probably take that connotation away from it, just because it is a different procedure," Hamilton told the media, including GPblog in Bahrain.

"It is just a longer procedure than it has been in the past, so right now, if you put the five lights up, we would all still be standing there when the lights went out for a little bit longer, but you can still pull away without the turbo going.

"It's just you will probably go into anti-stall a couple of times, so I guess perhaps the anti-stall is something which is a potential for some people, but I don't think it is dangerous."

Verstappen weighed in on the debate and added: "You should start in the pit lane if you feel unsafe. You'll catch up by Turn 4 anyway to the back of the pack."

The FIA say they are monitoring this week’s test in Bahrain to identify of there are any changes required to the rulebook ahead of the season-opener in Melbourne next month.