Jolyon Palmer saw Max Verstappen ‘run out of ideas’ when fighting midfield driver in 2026 F1 cars

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Jolyon Palmer says intelligent midfield drivers like Pierre Gasly can frustrate the likes of Max Verstappen if they master their energy deployment. Gasly held off Verstappen in a prolonged battle for seventh at the Japanese GP.

Gasly and Alpine have climbed to the front of the midfield at the start of the new regulations, aided by their best-in-class Mercedes engine. Meanwhile, Red Bull lost their frontrunning status in the early rounds.

Verstappen has been the leading critic of F1’s new regulations so far, calling them ‘anti-racing’. Spending around half the race on Gasly’s gearbox at Suzuka may well have solidified that view.

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Jolyon Palmer says Max Verstappen was outwitted by Pierre Gasly in Japan

Gasly is eighth in the F1 standings ahead of the Miami Grand Prix with 15 points on the board. Of all the traditional midfield runners, only Haas’ Oliver Bearman (17 points) is ahead.

Palmer puts Gasly’s strong start down to a combination of fundamental pace and tactical awareness. He has been ‘clinical’ in the use of his battery.

Verstappen has long been regarded as the very best in F1 when it comes to racecraft, though drivers like Fernando Alonso also have a claim to that mantle. The sight of the Dutchman ‘running out of ideas’ to pass Gasly in Japan was, therefore, extremely rare.

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“I think Pierre’s driving really well,” Palmer said on F1TV. “I think he’s got a good understanding of this ruleset as well. He’s making life pretty difficult for Franco [Colapinto] on the other side of the garage.

“He’s fundamentally quick. He’s always shown one-lap pace. He’s a very talented Formula 1 driver.

“I also think the energy deployment side, the tactical side of the racing, he’s shown really well. That’s why we’re seeing a lot of consistency. Sure, the pace is good, but the racecraft is very good, he’s pretty clinical.

“Dealing with Max in Japan, deploying energy where he had to just to frustrate Max a little bit, right to the end. Effectively, Max ran out of ideas in the closing laps there.”

Max Verstappen’s frustrated radio message to Gianpiero Lambiase during Pierre Gasly duel

With just over 10 laps remaining, Verstappen’s engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told him he was ‘two or three tenths’ quicker than Gasly, but added: “I appreciate it’s difficult to overtake.”

Verstappen replied: “Easy to say, mate, when you’re on the pit wall. It doesn’t help that much.”

That message is a testament to Gasly, who had clearly managed to frustrate his former Red Bull teammate.

Some have complained that the 2026 rules reduce the emphasis on driver skill. Indeed, Fernando Alonso has called F1 a ‘battery world championship’.

There have been countless instances where a driver has deployed extra energy to execute an overtake, only to lose the position on the next straight after depleting the battery. This has been dubbed ‘yo-yo’ racing.

Verstappen couldn’t make a move stick on Gasly, while Lando Norris said he accidentally overtook Lewis Hamilton after a surge in electrical energy and knew he would lose the position on the following straight.

The battery rules have been adjusted ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, but the tweaks are primarily safety-driven in response to the Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto incident in Japan.