Max Verstappen continues to show dissatisfaction with the current Formula 1 cars, and now he has received support from one of his teammates outside the category. Dani Juncadella stated that he completely understands the Red Bull Racing driver’s frustration with the behavior of the current generation cars.
The four-time world champion has criticized the technical regulations throughout the early stages of the season, mainly due to the difficulty in extracting performance from the cars. According to the Spaniard, the problem goes beyond performance and involves the very feeling of control that Verstappen seeks when driving.
Verstappen will be participating next weekend in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, sharing the car with Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer. The race will mark Verstappen’s third participation this year at the traditional German circuit.
In an interview with Motorsport-Total, Juncadella said he perfectly understands the Dutchman’s discomfort with current Formula 1: “I can understand him. He likes to be in control, that is part of his personality,” said the Spaniard.
The driver explained that Verstappen wants to understand exactly why certain situations happen and how he can directly influence the car’s performance: “It seems that he does not have the tools to influence his performance, and I think that is exactly what frustrates him.”
Juncadella also pointed out that the feeling is not exclusive to the Red Bull driver. According to him, more and more drivers are reaching the same conclusion and do not like the current Formula 1 regulations.
Commenting on Verstappen’s interest in GT3 racing, the Spaniard said that the Dutchman finds in this type of competition a more ‘pure’ driving experience: “I think that is why he likes racing GT3 so much, because it is pure. I am not saying that Formula 1 is not, but here you accelerate and the car responds immediately,” he added.
Juncadella concluded by saying that the feeling is reminiscent of Karting times, with direct battles and more predictable cars: “It is like going back to Karting, to the old times. Pure racing, wheel to wheel, some contact here and there. He loves that,” he finished.
