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Max Verstappen has discussed how the new 2026 Formula 1 regulations have impacted his driving style during Bahrain Testing.
The introduction of the new regulations for the 2026 Formula 1 season has created a lot of changes for the drivers who experienced the previous regulations.
For 2026 the new Formula 1 cars are smaller, lighter and more agile, which has changed how the cars handle when cornering.
The build of the cars is not the only change; they now also feature active aerodynamics and the removal of the Drag Reduction System.
Have the 2026 regulations made F1 worse, with Max Verstappen likening driving the new cars to Formula E?
Max Verstappen says the way to drive 2026 F1 cars is ‘very different’
After testing the new specification Formula 1 cars, Max Verstappen discussed the new way of cornering on the Up To Speed podcast.
The four-time Formula 1 Champion explained how the grip is now generated differently by the new generation of cars so it is harder to manage when cornering.
Verstappen said, “The car has less grip, it accelerates a lot faster out of the corners, but also the whole layout of the car is different, and the tyres are different.
“So, the way you have to drive it around a corner is very different because the grip is generated a little bit differently, less through the floor. You are probably sliding about a little bit more, and then you have more power, so with less grip it is harder to manage.
“It also depends on the type of corner you are coming out of, the lower speed corners you are waiting a longer period of time before you go full throttle.
“It is a bit of a change to the last few years, where you would jump back in the car in pre-season, and it was like muscle memory, but with a better car than the year before. Then immediately you were back into things.
“Now you need to rethink your driving approach a little bit more as well.”
Will Max Verstappen still be an F1 driver in 2030?
Will the new Formula 1 regulations cause Verstappen to leave the sport?
During the two weeks of the Bahrain Formula 1 test, Max Verstappen has been very vocal about his concerns with the new regulations.
In the first week of testing, Verstappen compared the new cars to ‘Formula E on steroids’, and his previous thoughts from 2023 on the new regulations have also resurfaced.
Jos Verstappen has now suggested that his son should come and join him in rallying, as he would enjoy the cars more than the new Formula 1 cars.
The former F1 driver said that ‘fun is a top priority’ when racing and that ‘Formula 1 really isn’t fun anymore like this’.
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