Verstappen sounds off on FIA tweak aimed at ‘fixing’ qualifying

Ahead of the commencement of the race weekend, the FIA, in agreement with F1 teams and power unit manufacturers, agreed on a minor adjustment to the energy management parameters for qualifying at the Japanese GP.

Specifically, the maximum permitted energy recharge for qualifying this weekend has been reduced from 9.0 megajoules (MJ) to 8.0 MJ, in what the FIA states will help maintain qualifying as a performance challenge.

Asked for his reaction, Verstappen offered a measured response, admitting he had yet to test the changes but expressing hope they would make qualifying more flat-out.

“I mean, I've not practised this on the simulator, so I cannot give you a clear answer. It was a little bit before, not flat-out basically. So I hope that this can be closer to being flat-out,” Verstappen said at the Suzuka International Circuit.

When pressed on whether the change compromises the purity of racing at Suzuka, the four-time world champion remained pragmatic, acknowledging the limitations of the current regulations while looking ahead to potential improvements.

“Of course, it feels very different to last year, but this is the reality that we're in now and you just have to accept that at the moment. I mean, there's not much that you can do anyway for this year,” Verstappen explained.

“I hope that bigger changes will be there for next year. How does it feel? It feels... how does it feel? It's different. I mean, you all know how I, of course, think of the situation, and I think that was something that I felt when I was on the simulator as well. Around here, going to eight megajoules probably helps a tiny bit, but the basics are the same, you know, so you still need to be careful with your throttle inputs. That is, of course, very different to the past,” the Red Bull Racing driver concluded.

Verstappen has largely remained a critic of the current regulations, highlighting how the racing feels largely artificial. The 28-year-old, in a scathing assessment earlier, also labelled the current regulations as feeling like “Formula E cars on steroids.”

Earlier, Verstappen did not hold back his frustration with a member of the media, stressing that he would not address the press unless the journalist left the room.

The Dutch driver had hit out at a journalist from The Guardian, to whom he delivered a savage response following a question posed during the post-race press conference at last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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