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'Formula E on Steroids': Max Verstappen Slams New F1 Cars During Pre-Season Testing in Bahrain
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen criticizes new hybrid F1 cars for heavy energy management, saying it departs from traditional driving and likening it to 'Formula E on steroids.'
- Max Verstappen and rival Lando Norris are split as Verstappen says the new Formula 1 cars this year are `just not Formula 1` while Norris calls them `a lot of fun`.
- Rule changes this year rewrote chassis, engines, tyres and introduced sustainable fuels, while hybrid power units now split near 50-50 and have three times last year's electrical power.
- Teams report the cars recover energy in four ways, while drivers use unusual techniques like lifting, coasting, and gear changes, and battery cycling occurs several times per lap.
- Some teams and drivers warn that limited energy to run flat out is changing traditional driving, while senior figures in F1 caution against drawing firm conclusions at this early stage.
- Observers note similarities with Formula E, with rules potentially tweaked to reduce energy management, but none have been allowed so far, while Verstappen's Nurburgring 24 Hours consideration this year might let him drive flat out.
33 Articles
33 Articles
'Formula E on steroids': Max Verstappen slams new F1 cars during pre-season testing in Bahrain
Speaking to reporters after the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, four-time world champion Max Verstappen launched a scathing attack on the new breed of Formula 1 cars that have undergone a complete overhaul of chassis and engines, with the focus now shifting to energy management.
Formula 1 Champ Lando Norris Throws Shade At Max Verstappen Ahead Of 2026 Season
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris Formula 1 The 2026 Formula 1 season is set to start in March and features an entirely new set of regulations that four-time champion Max Verstappen is not overly fond of. Reigning champion Lando Norris, however, doesn’t particularly care what Verstappen thinks about the new rules. Once friends who have since turned heated rivals, Verstappen and Norris fought to the final race for the 2026 drivers’ championship, wi…
A few weeks after the start of the new Formula 1 season, drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris rekindled their rivalry with strong statements.The new regulation that will enter into force in Formula 1 season 2026 was the reason that revived the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.Why is the Max Verstappen vs Lando Norris rivalry revived in Formula 1?The rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lando Norrris revived when the first one spo…
Max Verstappen is moaning - and that's great news for F1
Fabulous. Max Verstappen has gone full diva and it’s only the first week of testing. This is absolute gold for the hot-take industry and for the producers of Drive to Survive mulling Netflix plot lines to light up season nine. The sport’s new eco-cars, running half on electric power and half on fossil fuel grunt, are not for old-skool Max, despite Red Bull being the class of the early season field. They require the driver to think in a way that…
Motor racing-Formula E boss invites Verstappen to try electric after F1 car comments
Feb 13 (Reuters) - Formula E has invited Max Verstappen to test its car after the four times Formula One world champion said his latest Red Bull was not a lot of fun to drive and felt like something from the electric series 'on steroids'. Read full story
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