How Max Verstappen would fix F1 and the changes he would make

Max Verstappen has shared a fascinating insight into the changes he would make to improve Formula 1 if he was in charge. 

Four-time world champion Verstappen has been the biggest critic of F1’s 2026 regulation overhaul and even threatened to walk away from the sport altogether over his dissatisfaction about the current engine rules. 

While Verstappen’s stance has somewhat softened in recent months, particularly after F1 agreed a two-step phased transition from the initial near 50-50 power split to a 60-40 balance favouring the internal combustion engine by 2028, he is still not enjoying driving the 2026 cars. 

The Dutchman believes the new 2026 engine rules have taken away the challenge of qualifying and limited the reward for committing in the high-speed corners, leading to an “unnatural” driving style. 

Speaking on the P1 with Matt and Tommy podcast, Verstappen explained his frustration with the 2026 regulations, quipping the current cars “don’t suit anything, you just make the best of it.” 

“Naturally when you go into some corners, you either keep it flat or you are just like feathering the throttle close to being flat, that’s the worst thing you can do with these cars,” Verstappen said. 

“That’s actually where the strength can come from some drivers, being late on the brakes, early on throttle, a different kind of throttle input also. Now it’s all about just trying to be as late as possible on throttle, or late as possible to full throttle. It’s just really not race-oriented.

“I would say the fast drivers don’t drive like that. That’s why in qualifying, you’re just stuck in a certain place where you almost physically can’t make a difference because you just drive it in a certain way that almost everyone can, or within half a tenth, one tenth. 

“That’s why the gaps are in general very small because some hight-speed corners are not actually high-speed anymore because it’s more efficient to lift and go later on throttle and have the deployment later on the straight.”

This led onto a wider debate about the changes Verstappen wants. 

Shorter race weekends 

With an expanding calendar and more media and sponsor commitments than ever before, it is clear Verstappen wants a return to a more old-school approach to putting the emphasis back on racing. 

“F1 has of course changed quite a bit, more races, more I would say a little bit like a zoo in the paddock. It’s a bit of a zoo. I didn’t really see that coming that quickly,” Verstappen said. “It’s still racing, it’s still the pinnacle. You actually don’t drive a lot compared to what you do around the track.” 

So, what would the ideal race weekend look like for Verstappen? 

“Arrive Saturday morning, FP1, qualifying and then the race on Sunday,” he explained. “I understand of course they have to monetise the Friday, they have to monetise the Saturday and the Sunday. So that’s why I get that a Friday needs to be exciting, a Saturday needs to be exciting and a Sunday needs to be exciting. 

“So I understand that a sprint format is better, or probably more fun for those at the track because there is more racing. I just purely think from the driver’s side of things, three practice sessions can get a bit boring. It’s probably a bit much. Get rid of at least one.”

This leads Verstappen onto his biggest gripe with the sprint weekend format. F1 already has six sprint weekends but that number will increase to 10 from next season. 

“Let’s say you are P1, you win the sprint, you put it on pole and then you don’t win the main race, I would go home annoyed,” Verstappen said. 

“There is no real reward in a way. In your mind it’s all about preparation for the main race and if you lose two or three points in the sprint it’s like ‘whatever, big deal’. That’s why I never really get super excited about it. 

“It already gives a way a bit of the picture for the main race. I know you can change the car a little bit but normally the main picture is set from the sprint. Then you know who has the pace advantage or not, unless something does a magic thing overnight, but that’s very rare.

“What I like as well is that normally you go into a race with quite a few unknowns, like managing your tyres. In the sprint you do learn if you actually need to manage more or less, and for some drivers they fix it for the race. 

“I always prefer that we don’t have that, because then you go into the main race and if a driver is struggling on a tyre or doesn’t know how to manage them, that’s his race over. 

“But a sprint gives you a little bit of a wake-up call sometimes if you don’t get it right, because it gives you time to think overnight and then you can change it for the race.”

Verstappen’s biggest change is obvious 

But the biggest issue with F1 is clear for Verstappen and it all comes back to the engine. 

Asked if he could change one thing about F1, the 28-year-old barely even hesitates before replying: “Right now change the engine back to a V8. It fixes so many things. A proper V8 is much better in every single scenario. Drivability, it’s lighter, much more fun to race with.”

Verstappen is not a fan of the artificial methods used to increase overtaking. In an ideal world, he wouldn’t want to have to rely on DRS [Drag Reduction System] - or the Active Aero system that replaced it for 2026. 

“If you need a tiny battery for a push-to-pass so we also don’t need the DRS anymore, that’s fine,” he added, citing the former KERS [Kinetic Energy Recovery System] as an alternative. 

“A little power boost. Something that is powerful enough to generate an overtake but at the end of a straight when you go for a move under braking. Before with DRS sometimes it was also too powerful in places.

“It’s a proper racing overtake, not just an ‘overtake’.

“I know of course it’s a little bit complicated sometimes with the cars  we have currently with drag. You get more and more efficient with drag. But in my ideal world, V8 or V10, but I guess it would be more V8 nowadays,” he adds. 

“It would be a lot more fun to drive and if you add a little battery for a push-to-pass kind of thing then I think it’s fine.” 

Verstappen may well get his wish, though he will have to wait for F1’s next engine regulation in 2030. Early plans have been revealed for a 3.0-litre V8 turbo with a smaller electrical motor, while a push-to-pass overtake mode is also under consideration.