Max Verstappen believes HALF of F1 teams would be disqualified with rule change

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Max Verstappen believes HALF of F1 teams would be disqualified with rule change

Verstappen is not convinced by this FIA practice.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 28 December 2025 11:57

Four-time champion Max Verstappen has shared his belief that if the post-race rules of an F1 race were to undergo a revamp, half of the teams on the grid would be disqualified.

In this year's F1 campaign, the FIA carried out post-race inspections on a handful of randomly selected cars, with there being not enough time or staff on hand to check that every single piece of machinery has met the standards required to avoid disqualification on every occasion.

But with the introduction of the new regulations on the horizon ahead of the 2026 championship, Verstappen has taken the opportunity to call out the way in which F1's governing body complete these checks.

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The Red Bull star claimed that some teams and drivers are often lucky to avoid a DSQ, and was quoted by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport as saying: "You're always trying to find the limit; we all do it. Sometimes everything runs smoothly because you're not always inspected.

"In my opinion, if the teams were inspected for every race, half of them would definitely be found to be in breach of regulations."

Verstappen questions F1 car disqualification checks

Though the Dutchman did appear critical of the element of luck that can come into the checks conducted by the FIA across an F1 race weekend, he did acknowledge the logistical difficulties the task suffers from.

"Besides, it's not possible to inspect every car; it would take a lot of people," he added.

In 2025, the stewards disqualified Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly as well as both McLaren stars Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to name a few after their cars all failed post-race checks.

And to be fair, the governing body do go the extra mile to prevent a lucky escape for any teams or drivers whenever they can, such was the case at this year's Las Vegas GP.

Having crossed the line in P2 and P4 when the chequered flag was waved on the Vegas strip, McLaren driver duo Norris and Piastri suffered a devastating double disqualification due to the skids on both cars measuring below the minimum threshold after the grand prix.

Following confirmation that both MCL39's had failed the checks, the FIA then did their bit to ensure no other team or driver in the top 10 got away with excessive skid wear, checking all eight other cars, including Verstappen's.

Luckily for the Red Bull star, he passed the checks along with the rest of the top 10, but should the FIA introduce this as a mandatory check should resources allow in future, the Dutchman may not stay in favour of the change for much longer.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen FIA