(Motorsport-Total.com) – After the race weekend in Spa-Francorchamps and especially the clear words from Oscar Piastri, one topic dominates media Thursday in Budapest: energy management, more precisely the self-learning aspects of the power unit for 2026.
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Piastri called it “shitty” that drivers can be caught off guard by predictive algorithms that adapt over time based on learned data. This means that extremely small differences in driver input can affect energy management later in the lap. However, the same applies to factors completely outside the driver’s control – such as changes in wind direction or grip levels.
Verstappen doesn’t want to criticize the regulations every week and even said in Belgium that certain people outside the press conference room might “shoot” him if he continued. It sounded like an attempt to muzzle Verstappen, but in Hungary he clarified the remark: “No, that was just a joke from me.”
Verstappen actually believes, however, that his criticism was not taken seriously a few years ago, but now more and more people are beginning to understand what is wrong with the 2026 regulations.
“I’ve been openly expressing my opinion on these regulations for a long time. At first, most people said: ‘Oh, he’s just complaining, he should just shut up.’ But I have to say that in the last few races, more and more people are seeing exactly what I saw coming a long time ago.”
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“And it’s not about me not winning anymore, but simply about the overall product being important to me,” he emphasizes.
According to Verstappen, how this product is perceived also depends on the type of fan. Casual fans might enjoy the racing, but those who understand the background see it differently.
“Of course, if people constantly ask me about it, it might not always be well-received. But I just honestly state my opinion because you simply see certain things coming,” says the Red Bull driver.
“Sometimes people say: ‘Yes, but that was a great race.’ And then I say: ‘Yes, but the way we race is not really realistic.’ And then you come to some tracks and for Formula 1 standards, you’re not driving with a lot of horsepower. That’s a bit painful, and that’s exactly what I’ve seen coming for years.”
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Verstappen believes that the fastest drivers in the field are no longer able to make a difference: “Well, it’s simply down to your throttle input. If you’re sometimes faster in the corner, you then lose more on the straight – which, of course, shouldn’t be the way it is.”
“I mean, in any form of racing series, if you gain time in the corner, that’s simply free lap time. Normally, you’re not penalized for that on the straight. Nowadays, however, you really have to think: ‘Oh, I have to use a different gear, apply a different braking technique, or adjust the way I get on the throttle.'”
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According to Verstappen, this is also precisely why many teammates are so close to each other this year and why the fastest drivers can no longer fully exploit their talent.
“Basically, it simply neutralizes an extreme amount of lap time. I guess that’s precisely why you generally see so many close duels between teams and also between teammates – because sometimes you simply can’t make a difference. You’re not even allowed to make a difference, because you’ll be directly penalized for it on the next straight.”
On the Hungaroring, this should be a much smaller factor than in Silverstone and Spa, as the track near Budapest is considered energy-intensive.
Nevertheless, for Verstappen, this doesn’t change the fundamental overall picture, including overtaking. The Dutchman won the Formula 1 Overtake of the Month award for his maneuver against Lewis Hamilton in Austria.
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When Verstappen was asked on the podium how he managed this maneuver, he grinned: “I pressed my boost button and suddenly had a bit more horsepower than Lewis.”
Formula 1 cut this part from its own social media channels, but according to Verstappen, it perfectly sums up how overtaking will work in 2026.
“It’s completely different. It’s not really much fun for me. Sometimes, honestly, it’s very amusing when you see people in front of you fighting and draining their battery – and you just drive past them by doing absolutely nothing. You pull past them on the next straight by literally doing nothing.”
“So it definitely shouldn’t be like that. Also, the fact that these wings open everywhere enormously reduces drag when following. Of course, that has its obvious reasons, but I prefer to suck up to someone and then perhaps make a move on the brakes or whatever to overtake.”
“Now the overtaking maneuver is sometimes completed in the middle of the straight, which is a bit strange. The problem, of course, is that real racing fans understand this. Non-racing fans find it cool because you simply see more overtakes – but it’s not real. It’s not what racing is about.”
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