Max Verstappen on F1 future: “Driving is better, but the concept still needs changes”. Max Verstappen remains critical of the upcoming 2026 F1 regulations.

Miami, is this a new era of Formula 1?

There was strong curiosity heading into Miami to see how both cars and drivers would respond to the long list of changes introduced by Formula 1 and the FIA aimed at improving the 2026 regulations. Even during the Sprint weekend, several drivers remained cautious and avoided making strong conclusions, pointing out that the unique nature of the Miami circuit may not be the best benchmark to evaluate real performance progress.

The general feeling, however, is that a small step forward has been made in terms of overall balance and drivability.

Verstappen’s opinion remains unchanged

There was significant interest in hearing Max Verstappen’s verdict, especially after Red Bull’s return to strong competitiveness, which allowed him to qualify in second place and start from the front row for the Grand Prix.

The question was whether his previous harsh criticism of the 2026 direction was driven by Red Bull’s earlier struggles, or whether it truly reflected his personal view of the regulations.

In comments reported by GPBlog, Max Verstappen made his position very clear:

“The car itself is fine, you can race quite well. You just need to move away from the current 55:45 ratio and go back to how it was before. So around 75–80% in favour of the thermal engine. These discussions are always political anyway, because everyone is trying to gain some advantage. I only care about how we can improve the sport. We simply need to remove certain things, like the fact that staying on the throttle longer then penalises you on the straight.”

“My criticism remains the same”

Max Verstappen continued to express doubts about the direction of the regulations:

“My criticism of the regulations remains the same. I don’t care whether I’m second or eighth. Personally, the driving feel is a bit better now, but we still need to find a solution.”