Max Verstappen F1 trolling backfires

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Max Verstappen F1 trolling backfires

Verstappen has not spoken highly of the new regulations era in F1

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 1 April 2026 22:55

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It is no secret that four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen is not the biggest fan of the new power unit regulations brought into the sport in 2026.

As F1 waved goodbye to the second ground effect era in its history, it welcomed an increased focus on electrical energy.

The new power units remain a 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid, but the 2026 versions have had the emphasis on their electrical energy output tripled, with the MGU-H removed from the PU altogether.

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Even before stepping into a physical F1 2026 car, Verstappen told media at the 2023 Austrian GP that having looked at simulator data, he already knew the new regulations would be 'pretty terrible'.

And after the first three rounds of the season, his view hasn't improved.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton to get power unit upgrade as software issue discovered

Formula E CEO has the last laugh after Verstappen dig

Since the start of the year, Verstappen has maintained that he is against the energy harvesting and management required thanks to the new regulations, with the use of methods such as super clipping or lifting and coasting more akin to 'anti-driving' instead of real racing, which would allow the Dutchman to go flat out.

In a now infamous comparison, Verstappen slammed the new cars during pre-season testing, saying: "The feeling is not very F1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids."

Following the 28-year-old's comments in Bahrain, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds extended an invitation to Verstappen to go and try out a Formula E car as the FIA-governed series prepared to race in Jeddah (but no such crossover ever transpired).

Now, after three races of the F1 championship, Verstappen is said to be 'seriously considering' retirement due to his dislike of the new regulations, but according to Dodds, business is booming over at Formula E.

The CEO told Sports Business Journal that the all-electric racing series experienced a spike in interest across their digital channels as a result of Verstappen's comments, saying: "The weekend when Max talked about us, a load more people went online and viewed our videos and looked at our races and understood a bit more about the championship."

"So far this year we’ve added I think over 50,000 new followers to our social following, so that’s all good for us," the Brit continued.

"I also think what it’s good for is it’s raising the awareness of electrification for a lot of these people in racing."

When does Verstappen's F1 contract expire?

Max Verstappen's current F1 contract with Red Bull is not set to expire until the end of the 2028 championship.

Last year however, there was talk of a potential exit clause in his contract, which the four-time champion was rumoured to be able to activate on a performance basis if Red Bull were not capable of giving him a car competitive enough to remain within the top three or four in the drivers' standings.

Red Bull never officially spoke on the rumoured clause or its terms and after months of speculation surrounding a switch to Mercedes, Verstappen reaffirmed his loyalty to the energy drink giants.

But as rumours of a new clause for 2026 continue to swirl, who's to say he wouldn't move to terminate his current contract prematurely if Red Bull's struggles under the new regulations continue?

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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