Max Verstappen made a harsh assessment of the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season and demanded a reaction from Red Bull after the summer break. The day also included explanations from the FIA about the problems with the new power units, confirmation of the race time in Sepang, and important changes at Aston Martin.
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Without wins so far, Verstappen described the campaign as “very difficult” and pointed to lack of performance, inconsistency, and problems with the current package. Red Bull has become the only one among the main teams on the grid that has not yet won in 2026, while the Dutchman is only in sixth place in the championship, with 109 points. For the restart, he considers it a priority to find speed and prevent the car from losing performance over the weekends and during the races themselves.
The FIA, in turn, stated that it had already anticipated the negative effects of the almost equal split between electric power and the combustion engine. Nikolas Tombazis explained that the entity was unable to change the regulations before the season because at least four manufacturers would have needed to vote in favor, a consensus that was not reached. Adjustments were applied starting from the Miami GP, while a gradual change to 60% combustion power and 40% electric is planned by 2028.
Another relevant piece of information involved the Bahrain GP, which will be held in Sepang, Malaysia. The FIA confirmed the start time for 3 p.m. local time on October 4, equivalent to 4 a.m. Brasília time. The race was moved to the Malaysian circuit after the conflict in the Middle East made it impossible to hold the originally planned stage in Sakhir.
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At Aston Martin, Tom McCullough will leave the organization at the end of the season after 13 years. The professional participated in the Force India, Racing Point, and Aston Martin phases, as well as having played an important role in the performance area and in setting up the cars during the weekends. It is not yet defined whether there will be a direct replacement for his functions.
Tuesday’s news also brought the assessment that Aston Martin has evolved, accompanied by a warning from Honda before Zandvoort, as well as discussions about a possible swap between Oscar Piastri and Verstappen. Mika Hakkinen positioned himself against this possibility, while the four-time champion’s own stay at Red Bull remained among the central topics of the market.
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