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Max Verstappen has backed up Lewis Hamilton’s concerns that F1’s new rules will be ‘difficult to explain’ to the sport’s fans. A new era begins at the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
DRS, which has been in place since 2011, has given way to active aero for the new season. Now the cars will be able to engage ‘straight-line mode’ in specified areas of the track, while they will also have access to ‘overtake mode’ when in battle.
The sport has become almost 50% electric this year, so managing electrical energy is far more important. Already in testing, drivers were resorting to unnatural techniques in order to charge up the battery.
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Max Verstappen agrees with Lewis Hamilton – you need a degree to understand the 2026 rules
Speaking during testing, Hamilton said that even he struggled to get his head around the new concepts.
“It’s ridiculously complex,” the seven-time world champion said, via ESPN. “I sat in a meeting the other day and they’re taking us through it. It’s like you need a degree to fully understand it all.”
Verstappen has been the leading critic of the new rules up to this point, even likening them to ‘Formula E on steroids’ after his first few days in the car. In a fresh interview with Blick, he echoed Hamilton’s fears.
Should F1 bosses have been ‘tougher’ on Max Verstappen after he criticised the 2026 rules?
The energy management challenge will vary depending on circuit layout. Verstappen flagged the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which takes place in late September and features a 2.2km straight, as a particular concern.
He said: “It will be difficult to explain everything clearly to the fans. Because we ourselves struggle to know all the details. And then there are tracks like this one or in Baku, where a university degree would be an advantage!”
‘I hope we don’t get overtaken by Formula E,’ Max Verstappen says
There is a feeling that F1 is taking a step into the unknown at Albert Park this weekend. The teams agreed, in conjunction with the FIA and FOM, to wait before making any revisions to the rules.
That could lead to some rather farcical scenes, but there’s an understandable desire not to rush into any measures before any competitive action has taken place.
Verstappen is anxious that F1 will fall behind the all-electric Formula E series in terms of car performance after attempting to triple the battery output seen in 2025.
“I’m curious myself to see if my theory about an ideal lap in Melbourne matches reality starting Friday,” he said. “I can only hope that we don’t get overtaken by Formula E.”
The Red Bull driver’s evident dissatisfaction with F1’s direction has cast his long-term future into doubt. Verstappen is under contract until 2028 and still seems intent on seeing out that deal.
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