Max Verstappen delivers brutal 'anti-racing' critique of 2026 F1 cars

Max Verstappen has brutally slammed F1’s new generation of cars, labelling them “anti-racing” and like “Formula E on steroids”.

F1’s all-new 2026 cars have an increased emphasis on energy management required by the new power units, which have a near 50-50 power split between internal combustion engine and electrical components.

But four-time world champion Verstappen is not impressed by the need to constantly recharge the battery and says the cars are not fun to drive.

When asked for his thoughts on the 2026 cars, the Red Bull driver told reporters in Bahrain: "Not a lot of fun, to be honest. I would say the right word is management.”

Verstappen added: "As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.

"But the rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that. And that's also not my problem, because I'm all for that. Equal chances, I don't mind that.

"But as a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There's a lot going on.

"A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things. For me, that's just not Formula 1.

"Maybe it's better to drive Formula E, right? Because that's all about energy efficiency and management. That's what they stand for.

"Driving-wise, it's not so fun. But at the same time, I also know what is at stake with the team, with our own engine. And seeing the excitement of the people.

"Of course, when I sit in the car, I will always give it my very best. They know that. But the excitement level is not so high.”

Verstappen, who made his sportscar debut last year, has previously indicated that he could quit F1 if he did not enjoy driving the 2026 cars.

Verstappen joins Hamilton in scathing review

Verstappen’s comments come after Lewis Hamilton was equally negative about the new cars and rules on Wednesday.

The seven-time world champion described F1’s new regulations as “ridiculously complex”, while he raised concerns about them being “slower than GP2 [F2].”

"If you look at Barcelona, for example, we're doing 600 metres lift and coast on a qualifying lap. That's not what racing is about. Here [in Bahrain], we're not having to do that because there's lots of braking zones,” the Ferrari driver said.

“The low gears that we have to go down into is just because we can't recover enough battery power.

"We can't recover enough battery power, so that's why we have to go and rev the engines very, very, very high. So we're going down to second and first in some places just to try to recover that extra bit of power."