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Max Verstappen has stated that he felt his battle with Charles Leclerc in the 2023 Austrian F1 Grand Prix was a little unfair.
During the race, the Dutchman saw himself behind Charles Leclerc after exiting the pits, forcing him to overtake Ferrari to regain the lead. Lerclerc was unable to defend against the faster RB19 and pass the World Champion in no time.
Speaking at the drivers’ press conference after the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen explained how the battle for the lead was somewhat unfair, not for him but for fellow F1 driver Charles Leclerc. He explained how the speed difference and tire advantage were too much for the Ferrari driver to easily overtake. He said:
“Yeah, I mean, it was good but also a little bit unfair. I had the tire advantage as well and so did the general speed advantage. But yeah, I mean, of course, Charles, he knows how to race. You can see that also last year, here .But we were obviously a little faster today.”
Max Verstappen is not a fan of the 2026 F1 regulations
Max Verstappen recently shared his views on the F1 regulations for 2026. The FIA has confirmed that 2026 will be the year when changes to the power unit regulations will take place, allowing teams to upgrade their engines and other essential parts of the car, which are usually locked in for a period of time. .
Verstappen recently voiced his opinion on the regulatory changes, saying the car’s performance will depend so heavily on the ICE (internal combustion engine), that any team with a good engine will clearly dominate the sport. Red Bull driver said:
“It’s not the way forward, it looks like it’s going to be an ICE competition. So, whoever has the most powerful engine is going to have a big advantage. It looks pretty bad, from all the numbers and what I’m seeing from the data already.”
The Dutchman has also stated that he would prefer raw driver input to matter more during a race, rather than systems and technology overriding driver decisions. He said:
“When you’re behind someone, maybe you need more front or rear, that sort of thing. If the system starts to control that for you, I don’t think that’s the right way forward.”
Only time will tell how the 2026 F1 regulations changes will play out, with a few car manufacturers such as Audi also planning to join the sport.
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