Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen’s “horror show” at Red Bull is contributing to the Dutchman’s criticism of Formula 1’s new 2026 regulations.
Verstappen has been outspoken about F1’s new cars, which has led to a different style of driving and racing, comparing it to “Mario Kart” and labelling it “a joke” following his retirement from Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, when he was running in sixth until he suffered a power unit cooling problem.
Other drivers have also critiqued the racing but the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers have been largely positive after George Russell fought Charles Leclerc hard for the lead in Australia, then Leclerc, Russell and Lewis Hamilton battled hard in the Sprint in China and the Grand Prix.
“Well, it’s just Kimi [Antonelli] or George [Russell] winning, right? It’s not really back and forth,” said Verstappen.
“They’re miles ahead of the field. It’s just that Ferrari sometimes has these good starts, then they push themselves in front, and then it takes a few laps to sort it all out.
“But this has nothing to do with racing – and I would say the same if I would be winning races because I care about the racing product. It’s not about being upset with where I am.”
The 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power with the new 2026 power units has led to a different style of driving to optimise lap time.
Drivers often have to lift and coast going into corners or have ‘superclipping’ which is when the car slows down towards the end of a straight to recharge the battery.
When it comes to wheel to wheel action, drivers use Boost Mode and Overtake Mode to pass their competitor but the electrical energy limit means the overtaking driver can then be vulnerable on the next straight as they have less battery charge.
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Hamilton and Leclerc go head-to-head in their Ferraris at the Chinese GP
Hamilton labelled it as the “best racing that I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1” after his back and forth with Leclerc on his way to a first Ferrari podium on Sunday in Shanghai.
Wolff says he has spoken to F1 chief Stefano Domenicali and “all the indicators” says people “love” the new racing.
He added: “Max is in a horror show. When you look at the onboard that he has in qualifying, it’s just horrendous to drive. You can see that. But it’s not the same with many other teams.
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Listen in as Leclerc compares his epic duel with George Russell to the mushroom from Mario Kart
“From an entertainment perspective, I believe that what we’ve seen between Ferrari and Mercedes was good racing. Many overtakes. We were all part of Formula 1 where there was no overtake, literally.
“Sometimes we’re too nostalgic about the good old years. But I think the product is good in itself. We saw quite some racing in the midfield also.
“Now, from a driver’s standpoint, when it comes to the qualifying lap, that is different. Clearly, lifting and coasting in qualifying, I’m sure for someone like Max, who is a full-attack guy, it’s difficult to cope and digest.
“But it’s more, I would say, a car-specific issue that magnifies the problem that it is because if you sit in front of a TV or in front of a screen, even Max would say, that was interesting racing in the front.”
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Mercedes and Ferrari go racing as Russell and Leclerc fight for P1 at the Australian Grand Prix
Mekies: Red Bull have significant shortcomings
After recovering to sixth in the Melbourne season-opener, having crashed out of qualifying due to an ERS failure locking the rear axle, Verstappen failed to score points at all in Shanghai with a ninth place in the Sprint and retiring from the main Grand Prix.
Verstappen has also struggled with starts due to having no battery when launching off the grid, which has seen him lose several positions off the line in each race so far this season.
“This weekend was particularly bad. It would help if we just had a normal start also! Every time I’ve dropped to last,” he told Sky Sports F1.
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Verstappen crashed into the barriers during Q1 at the Australian Grand Prix
“A big problem for us is tyre degradation. We are graining a lot, probably more than the people around us. So that’s one thing we need to solve.
“Then getting on top of our problems. But that’s not easy. You can see that all over the grid. Some cars are not even starting. It’s all very complicated.
“The team do everything they can. They give it everything and that’s painful because I know they can do it but at the moment we are not where we want to be. More problems than expected and also balance-wise, not where we want to be. A lot of stuff, hopefully after Japan, we can make some big steps.”
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Verstappen retired from the Chinese GP after electrical failure in his Red Bull
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies added: “Performance-wise, our package showed some significant shortcomings.
“However, we have learned so much over the past few weeks, and I expect that we can be more competitive from the next round in Japan in a fortnight’s time.”
Formula 1 next heads to the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix on March 27-29 live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
