Max Verstappen proposes major changes to F1 cars

The Formula 1 car Max Verstappen is driving this season is the best he has ever had, but there will be no RB19 on paper if Verstappen is allowed to determine the F1 regulations himself. The 25-year-old prefers to go back to things from the past when it comes to motorcycles. He wants to go back to the V8 and not like so many because of the sound: “I would put a line through the hybrid. Whenever I jump into an (F1 car with, ed.) V8, I am surprised again how smooth the engine feels The transmission is so effortless, with upshifts and downshifts, much more natural than now,” Verstappen said Motorsport.com. Moreover, Verstappen likes the cars to get up to speed with a V8.

It doesn’t stop there, because the two-time world champion would also like different wheels: “With these big wheels you don’t see much in the corners when you want to hit the apex. I liked the narrower wheels better, that was more fun.” An important pain point of the current cars is still, although it is now a bit better than before, that overtaking each other is difficult, or very artificial because of DRS. According to Verstappen, this can be solved by generating more air resistance. Then you benefit more from a slipstream and the car in front of you can also drive away less easily. “Then it doesn’t have to come down to DRS. The cars in 2026 seem even less drag so it becomes even more complicated to overtake.” Finally, Verstappen also hopes that some weight can be shaved off the cars, although he understands that it is largely due to safety measures that the current cars are so “But we are now much too heavy, we have to look at that.”

2026 regulations not promising

Verstappen has already been able to taste the regulations that will come into force in 2026 in the simulator. Last week in Austria, he already expressed his dissatisfaction with this. The 42-time GP winner mainly noticed in the simulator that the powertrain does strange things. It will be 50 percent electric and will have a hard time with it on long straights. According to Verstappen, this means that you drive full throttle at Monza, but lose a lot of power before the end of the straight because the battery is empty. Then he had to downshift to keep up the speed. The engine also continues to run at full speed when braking in the corners, which feels very unnatural, according to the Dutchman. Today in Silverstone he reiterates that it needs to be looked at, because according to Verstappen the proposed regulations leave a lot to be desired.