Max Verstappen voiced his frustration about how Formula 1 drivers ‘are not allowed’ to make a difference during races due to the demands of the power units.
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With the new 2026 regulations, competitors need to balance energy use, as 50% of the available power from the engines comes from the battery. Because of this, they had to adapt to a new driving style to avoid depleting the charge and becoming vulnerable in battles.
And for the four-time F1 world champion, this does not allow drivers to make the “difference.” “With the way you accelerate, by taking corners faster at some points, you end up losing more on the following straights. And it shouldn’t be like that. I mean, in any racing category, if you gain time in the corners, that’s lap time gained ‘for free’,” he said.
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“Normally, you wouldn’t be penalized on the straight for that; but now you really have to think: ‘Ah, I have to use a different gear,’ or a different braking technique, or change the way you get back on the throttle,” he continued.
“You have to act differently and, basically, that ends up canceling out a large part of the lap time gain. I think that’s why, generally, we see many close battles between teams and teammates: because you simply can’t make the difference. It’s as if you’re not allowed to make the difference, because that would end up hurting you on the next straight,” he concluded.
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