According to the former driver and brother of the Dutchman’s partner, the four-time world champion would have a different opinion about the 2026 F1 cars if he had a competitive car at his disposal.
Red Bull in crisis
“Anyone who says these are exciting races doesn’t understand anything about motorsport. These aren’t races, and I would say the same even if I were winning.” Max Verstappen has repeatedly criticized the regulations underpinning the 2026 F1 season.
The Red Bull driver described these cars during testing as “Formula E on steroids” and repeated his harsh remarks in both Australia and China. His statements stand in stark contrast to, for example, Ferrari drivers, who according to Lewis Hamilton are experiencing some of the best racing of their careers in these new machines.
Verstappen’s criticism and Piquet’s perspective
Verstappen’s outbursts have drawn reactions from Gunther Steiner and Ralf Schumacher, but one particularly striking voice comes from his “brother-in-law,” Nelson Piquet jr, Kelly’s brother—Kelly being Max Verstappen’s partner. “If you ask Max what was his best year in F1, he won’t say the one where he clinched the title at the last race, but the one where he won with five races to spare. For him, he always wants to win, and for that, you need the best car on the grid,” Piquet jr said on the Pelas Pistas podcast. “Given the current situation, it’s normal that he criticizes the 2026 rules, but if he were behind the wheel of a Mercedes, he’d be as quiet as a mouse and wouldn’t say a word.”
The “2026 revolution” has divided the paddock into winners and losers. For those currently trailing the Silver Arrows, the technical constraints feel like an obstacle to “real” racing. For those at the front, like Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, the new era represents a masterclass in efficiency and strategy. Whether Max Verstappen’s tune would truly change in a silver car remains a hypothetical, but in the high-stakes world of F1, results often dictate the narrative.
The 2026 season has therefore highlighted a shift in the sport’s technical priorities, moving toward a 50-50 power split that rewards energy management as much as aerodynamic efficiency. As teams continue to refine their power units, the debate over the “entertainment value” versus “technical purity” of these new regulations is set to remain the central storyline of the year. For Verstappen, the challenge is now to prove he can win within a set of rules he clearly detests.
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