All posts tagged: Verstappen

Norris sure unhappy Verstappen will stay in F1 ‘longer than people say’

Norris sure unhappy Verstappen will stay in F1 ‘longer than people say’

Published by Sam Flores

WOKING, England, April 22 : World champion Lando Norris expects Max Verstappen to stay in Formula One and fight for a fifth title despite the Dutch driver suggesting he might leave because of his unhappiness over the sport’s new rules. Red Bull’s Verstappen has been one of the loudest critics of the new engine era and what he calls “anti-racing”. “I also saw that he said he wants to win a fifth world championship so you know, I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say,” Norris told reporters at a McLaren event at their Woking headquarters on Wednesday. Norris beat Verstappen by two points last season, ending his friend and rival’s run of four titles in a row. MORE WINS THAN ANYONE LAST YEAR Verstappen, 28, won more races than anyone last year but Red Bull, with their own engine replacing the previous Honda power unit, have been far less competitive under the new rules. His long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is set to join McLaren at the end of 2027, a move Verstappen has …

Formula One bosses agree rule changes after Max Verstappen criticism and safety fears

Formula One bosses agree rule changes after Max Verstappen criticism and safety fears

Published by Sam Flores

Formula One bosses have bowed to significant pressure from drivers and fans, agreeing to implement immediate changes to the sport’s rulebook following widespread criticism, particularly from four-time world champion Max Verstappen. The adjustments, described as tweaks rather than wholesale reforms, are set to debut at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix on 3 May. Verstappen has been the most vocal critic among the grid, expressing strong disapproval of the current regulations which mandate a 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power. His concerns centre on the necessity for drivers to meticulously manage their battery, often forcing them to lift off the throttle during qualifying laps, and what he terms “gimmicks” like a boost button for overtaking. Fan frustrations have also been widely aired online. Following a summit involving F1, its governing body the FIA, and team principals, several key modifications have been finalised. To enable drivers to push harder for longer in qualifying, energy harvesting will be reduced from eight megajoules to seven, while the hybrid power unit’s output will increase from 250kw to 350kw. Ollie …

Motor racing-One dead, six injured in Nuerburgring race Verstappen had entered

Motor racing-One dead, six injured in Nuerburgring race Verstappen had entered

Published by Sam Flores

BERLIN, April 18 (Reuters) – Racing driver Juha Miettinen died and six others were injured on Saturday after an accident at ‌the ADAC 24h Nuerburgring qualifiers that four-times Formula One champion Max ‌Verstappen was due to compete in. Organisers said Miettinen, who was 66 years old, died ​after a crash that stopped the race after about half an hour of the scheduled four hours. All the other drivers were taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Red Bull F1 driver Verstappen, sharing a ‌Mercedes AMG GT3 sportscar ⁠with Austrian Lucas Auer, was not on track at the time. “During the first race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring ⁠Qualifiers, a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages of the race,” Nuerburgring officials said in a statement. “Despite the immediate arrival ​of emergency ​services, the emergency medics were unable ​to save the driver involved, ‌Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121), after he had been extracted from the vehicle. The driver died at the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful.” Organisers …

‘Beyond frustrated’ Verstappen weighing F1 future – BBC

‘Beyond frustrated’ Verstappen weighing F1 future – BBC

Published by Sam Flores

SUZUKA, Japan, March 29 : Four-times world champion Max Verstappen, who had declared himself “beyond frustrated” after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, said he was considering his future in the sport after finishing eighth in Sunday’s race at Suzuka. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the Red ‌Bull driver said his lack of enjoyment at driving the new generation of cars was making him question whether racing in the sport was still worth it. “I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock,” he said in the interview. “Privately I’m very happy. “You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it?” Verstappen has been an outspoken critic of Formula One’s new regulations and engine era. He has repeatedly said his dissatisfaction doesn’t stem from Red Bull’s poor form but due to the new rules placing more of an emphasis on energy management than flat-out racing. Sunday was the last race until May, ⁠with April’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds called off due …

Verstappen calls his Red Bull ‘undriveable’ after more F1 woes at Japan GP | Motorsports News

Verstappen calls his Red Bull ‘undriveable’ after more F1 woes at Japan GP | Motorsports News

Published by Sam Flores

Kimi Antonelli and George Russell claim a Mercedes 1-2 at Suzuka but Max Verstappen’s Red Bull struggles continue. Published On 28 Mar 202628 Mar 2026 A despondent Max Verstappen labelled his Red Bull car “undriveable” after the four-time world champion qualified a lowly 11th for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who has won at Suzuka for the past four years, dropped out in Q2 in another qualifying nightmare to compound a difficult start to the season. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list He crashed out in Q3 in the season opener in Australia and has consistently railed against new Formula One regulations that see a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power. “The car never turns mid-corner, but at the same time this weekend, it’s just oversteering a lot on entry. It’s really difficult, unpredictable,” Verstappen, who took pole last year with a track-record lap time, told Sky Sports F1. “We thought we’d fixed it a little bit in FP3 (third practice), I mean there was still a lot of understeer in …

Max Verstappen ‘beyond frustrated’ at new era of F1

Max Verstappen ‘beyond frustrated’ at new era of F1

Published by Sam Flores

In a later interview with the Dutch press, Verstappen expanded on the theme of F1 retirement: “If you’re away from home for 22 races, it has to be for something you really enjoy in life. At some point, it does come to an end.” Verstappen has been arguably the most vocal, and certainly the most high-profile, critic of the new era of hybrid-electric power units, which require drivers to “harvest” energy by purposely slowing into corners, which they can then use to power past one another using “boost” and “overtake” buttons. The two grands prix so far this year, in Australia and China, have featured hundreds of overtakes. But Verstappen has dismissed the stye of racing as akin to “Mario Kart” and described it as “Formula E on steroids”, saying anyone who enjoys it “does not understand racing”. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested after the race in Shanghai two weekends ago where Verstappen was forced to retire his car, that the 28-year-old was struggling with the “horror show” at Red Bull. But Verstappen is …

George Russell storms to Australian GP pole after Max Verstappen crashes

George Russell storms to Australian GP pole after Max Verstappen crashes

Published by Sam Flores

Interestingly, given he defended the new rules at testing in Bahrain last month, Norris now appears to be of the same opinion as Verstappen. That they are awful. “The problem is you have to look at the steering wheel every three seconds to see what’s going to happen, otherwise you’re going to end up off the track,” the world champion said, adding that was the reason he had not seen Antonelli’s cooling fan. “We’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula One, and the nicest to drive, to probably the worst. It sucks, but you have to live with it and just maximise what you get given.” After Norris came the second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton, who was the last driver to get within a second of Russell. Hamilton was actually quite upbeat afterwards, saying he had felt “solid” all weekend until Q2 when some energy deployment issues threw them. But he admitted Mercedes were in another league, accusing the Brackley team of sandbagging all weekend, and of having “two tenths or more” …

F1 will thrill in new engine era and Verstappen sure to stay, Domenicali says

F1 will thrill in new engine era and Verstappen sure to stay, Domenicali says

Published by Sam Flores

Feb 20 : Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali has assured fans that the sport’s new engine era will still provide plenty of thrills and Max Verstappen is in no danger of walking away. Four times world champion Verstappen has been outspoken about the new cars not being fun to drive and producing a situation that is “like Formula E on steroids” and “anti-racing”. The Red Bull driver has said before that he will stop racing if he no longer enjoys it but Domenicali said there was no risk of that. “I have a very good relationship with Max,” the Italian told reporters on a video call when asked what made him so confident. “I know him very well. I spend a lot of time with him. That’s the reason. Full stop. He loves Formula One. There’s no doubt about it.” MET VERSTAPPEN DURING TESTING  Domenicali said he met Verstappen during testing in Bahrain on Wednesday and it had been a very constructive talk. “I guarantee you that Max wants and cares about Formula One …

Max Verstappen throws F1 future into doubt over ‘anti-racing’ rules

Max Verstappen throws F1 future into doubt over ‘anti-racing’ rules

Published by Sam Flores

Asked whether these new rules might hasten his departure from the sport, or whether winning races in this formula might get him to change his mind, the 28-year-old gave a response which will concern the sport’s rulers. “Winning, for me… that doesn’t matter. It needs to be fun to drive as well, I think, at this stage of my career. “I mean, I am of course also exploring other things outside of Formula One to have fun at. Yeah I mean, I know that we’re stuck with this regulation for quite a while. So, yeah. Let’s see.” Organisers of the Nürburgring 24hrs (May 16–17) have already tweaked their calendar to allow Verstappen to take part in one of the early season Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) rounds, bringing NLS2 forward by a week to avoid a clash with the Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen said he appreciated the effort and hoped to drive in both that round and the main event in May, most likely at the wheel of a Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG. “I mean, looking at …