Max Verstappen’s stomach ache
Starting 19th and finishing 6th would be a satisfactory result for anyone, if only it weren’t for that Max Verstappen in the not too distant past he even did much better. And if only the same Dutch driver from home Red Bull had not on several occasions demonstrated all his disappointment in the driving style to which he is forced by the power units of the regulatory revolution: he did so in the tests, speaking of “Formula E on steroids“, he did it yesterday after qualifying, describing how these cars are driven in an unnatural and unfun way (especially on the flying lap). It is therefore logical to expect words of the same tone also at the end of the Australian GP which saw him recover from the bottom until finishing in the exhausts of his friend-rival Lando Norris.
The comeback does not satisfy Super Max
“Yes, obviously the overtaking was fun – explains Max Verstappen to Sky microphones – though most cars were two seconds slower than mineand so it was simply a matter of doing a bit of… cleaning on the track. It’s a bit strange to have to say it, but that’s how I saw it, they’re not fair fights. I just tried to be as clean as possible in my driving and get my pace, but at a certain point when I got rid of the cars in the middle of the group, I had too much tire degradation. There was a lot of graining and this compromised the remaining part of the race. We thought that with the harder Pirellis it would be better for us, but it didn’t work”.
The new attack on the 2026 rules
Still in the interview ring, but speaking with the international media, the four-time world champion then elaborated on the quality of Formula 1 races: “I think the FIA should worry about these ruleslet’s focus on this. They ask me questions and I express my opinion on what I would like to see and what I think is best for this sport, because I really care. I love racing, I wish it was better than this so let’s see what we can do. Drivers or fans, we only want the best for Formula 1, it’s not that we’re critical just for the sake of being critical. We wanted it to be real F1, not a version on steroids but today, once again, that wasn’t the case”.
“So I’m thinking about retiring? No. As I said I love racing, even if there is a limit to everything, true? I think the FIA and F1 are willing to listen, but I hope they also take action” concluded Max Verstappen, inviting the institutions that manage sport to move on to the facts and intervene quickly on the current set of rules.
