'F1 used to be pure but the races were boring': Star claps back at Max Verstappen moans

A star of the 2026 F1 grid has vehemently disagreed with Max Verstappen's view of the controversial new regulations.

The Dutchman has become the poster boy for those rallying against the new power unit rules brought into play for 2026 and beyond, with the near 50/50 power split between the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the Electrical Energy (MGU-K) proving a tricky concept to get on board with.

Though Verstappen is far from the only driver to speak out against the regulations overhaul, he seems to be the driver whose own career could be most impacted by it.

Dutch media have even claimed that Red Bull's star driver is 'seriously considering' retirement as a result of his pure dislike for F1's new era, but Mercedes rival George Russell couldn't disagree more.

The 28-year-old who currently sits P2 in the drivers' championship has spoken out to take an opposing view to Verstappen, claiming that the criticism surrounding the new era of F1 cars is a bit overblown.

In a recent interview with British media, Russell explained that he actually enjoys driving the new machines, pointing out that while past eras are often romanticised for the sound of their engines, they featured far fewer overtakes.

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Russell: Nostalgia prevails but old F1 races were dull

Following Ollie Bearman’s crash in Suzuka last time out, the FIA has made some adjustments to this year's rules, with the driver's criticism said to have played a major role in helping F1's governing body decide which tweaks to make.

The aim is to turn qualifying into a full-throttle session where drivers extract every bit of performance. The changes should also reduce the need for 'lift and coast' tactics, hopefully meaning the upcoming Miami GP and following races will be more engaging for those watching.

Verstappen has been one of the loudest critics, dubbing the new cars, 'Formula E on steroids', but Russell disagrees.

"I definitely don't share that at all," Russell said of Verstappen's negative view of the new regulations, in conversation with the BBC during an appearance that saw him officially open a new karting centre at Silverstone.

"I'm personally really enjoying the car. The power-unit and the engine is definitely different. And it just needs some fine-tuning to really optimise it. But it's given an opportunity to battle harder, and back-and-forth racing.

"We're here at a kart track now. And Lewis [Hamilton] made a great point - in a kart race, you overtake one corner, he overtakes back. And they overtake back again. And no one's ever called that Mario Kart or yo-yo racing or whatever the terminology is. We actually call it pure racing and great racing."

He also highlighted the importance of looking back on F1's rich history to understand what has been going on internally in the F1 cars this season, adding: "I remember watching F1 20 years ago and hearing the roar of the engines and it was amazing, but not seeing a single overtake.

"That arguably was the purest Formula 1 we've ever seen. But the racing was dull."

The Mercedes star then continued, critiquing the fact that many motorsport purists look back on the sport's 'golden era' through rose-tinted glasses.

"I think we only remember the positives of certain things. And in the present, we like to focus on the negative. And there's a lot of positives about this new regulation and the new cars.

"I spoke with a Formula 1 driver from the '80s and the '90s, multiple race winner, and he said they would have a boost button that would give them 300bhp more, but then at the end of the straight, at the lift off, they'd run out of fuel.

"So this has always kind of been there to some degree. It's obviously different now, but we always like to highlight the negatives and remember the good stuff from the past."

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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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