Jos Verstappen lashes out over F1 2026 debate: 'You call this racing?'

Jos and Max Verstappen in Monaco — Photo: © IMAGO

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Jos Verstappen lashes out over F1 2026 debate: 'You call this racing?'

Max Verstappen's father Jos has added his thoughts to the ongoing debate

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 21 March 2026 22:58 Updated: 23:33

Former F1 driver Jos Verstappen has added his thoughts to a debate surrounding the new regulations, taking after the opinion of a fellow Verstappen.

His son Max Verstappen has had a dismal start to the 2026 season, only picking up a measly eight points from the first two race weekends of the season, and he is already 43 points behind early championship leader George Russell.

The Red Bull star has spoken out frequently against F1's new regulation changes that were brought in for 2026 in recent weeks, with the Dutchman describing them as a 'joke' following the Chinese Grand Prix, and constantly reiterating that it's like driving in Mario Kart.

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While Toto Wolff, Guenther Steiner and his own brother-in-law Nelson Piquet Jr have all said Verstappen is only moaning because of how bad his Red Bull machinery is, his father Jos seems to agree with him.

In a now-deleted post on 'X' defending F1’s new regs, Verstappen Sr. replied to question whether what we're seeing in 2026 is really racing: "No Allard. I read all your messages. Then you don't understand F1 at all either. If you call this racing."

In response, the other user, commentator Allard Kalff, then replied: "No, I'm definitely not saying that. Just trying to add a bit of nuance."

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What did Max Verstappen say about the new regulations?

While four-time champion Verstappen has been critical of the new regulations for much of 2026 so far, his tone in pre-season testing and at the Australian GP was one of recommendation, saying that he was already in discussions with the FIA about the rules.

But his tone at the Chinese GP was much more critical, not leaving too much to be deciphered from his strong comments.

"It’s terrible," he told reporters after the race. "If someone likes this, then you really don’t know what racing is like.

"Not fun at all. Playing Mario Kart. This is not racing. Boosting past, then you run out of battery, the next straight they boost past you again. For me, it’s just a joke.

"If you just speak to most of the drivers, it’s not what we like, I don’t think it’s what the real F1 fans like. Maybe some fans like it, but they don’t understand racing.

"Hopefully we can get rid of this as soon as possible."

F1 Max Verstappen 2026 regulations Jos Verstappen