Max Verstappen's concerns over the 2026 F1 cars have been met with skepticism, but his father, Jos Verstappen, insists that his son's complaints are not new. When Max first raised concerns about the new regulations, he was met with laughter from others in the F1 community. However, the new cars have left drivers struggling with energy management and deployment, which heavily impacts lap times. This has led Max to describe the cars as 'Formula E on steroids' and 'anti-racing'. Jos Verstappen believes that the F1 community should listen more to the drivers' concerns, as they are the ones who will be driving the cars and experiencing the issues firsthand. He suggests that if decision-makers had sought input from the drivers earlier, some of these problems could have been avoided. The starting procedure and wheel-to-wheel racing with the new cars have been mentioned as issues by drivers across pre-season testing. Max Verstappen believes that drivers can provide valuable insights and even test things in the simulator, but the F1 community often overlooks their input. This highlights a potential power imbalance between drivers and decision-makers, and raises questions about the importance of drivers' voices in the decision-making process. But here's where it gets controversial... Should drivers have more say in the development of F1 cars? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
