Max Verstappen gets his "I told you so" moment as disdain with 2026 Formula 1 regulations gathers momentum

Verstappen and his ex-Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner were the first to warn about how bad the 2026 Formula 1 power units will be when Red Bull Ford Powertrains was running early simulations. Their warnings were refuted by rivals, Formula One Management, and the FIA while hinting that their power unit program was in trouble.

Verstappen was on the attack at the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with many saying he was not happy because he wasn't winning as Mercedes emerged with the best package.

Lando Norris even said the Dutchman should retire if he is not happy. Former driver Martin Brundle labeled the Red Bull Racing driver as boring in a rare slip from the otherwise respected and reasonable pundit.

But it seemed the tide has changed, with Brundle recently calling for a complete rethink of Formula 1's power unit philosophy following a sad race in Spa-Francorchamps. Norris had changed his tone long before that as Oscar Piastri labeled the control of the power units' software as crap.

Verstappen spoke to the reporters in Hungary on the matter as he finally earned his "I told you so" moment after being under fire earlier in the season.

He said: "I've spoken my mind about these regulations already for a long time. In the beginning most people were saying, 'Ah, he's complaining; he should shut up’. But I have to say that the last few races, more and more people are seeing the same thing that I could see coming already a long time ago.

"And it's not about me not winning anymore; it's just because I care about the product," he maintained.

Verstappen recently said in Spa that he would get shot if he continued to complain about the 2026 Formula 1 regulations but clarified in Hungary that he "was joking about that one" as his comments raised questions that he may have been gagged.

He continued: "Of course, when people keep asking me, maybe it's not always appreciated. But I'm just speaking my mind, because you see certain things coming.

"Sometimes people say, 'Yeah, but this was a great race'. And then I say, 'Yeah, but it's not really realistic, the way we are racing'. And then you arrive to some tracks, and you're driving on not a lot of horsepower for F1 standards. It's a little bit painful, which I could see coming already for years," he explained.

Verstappen, considered one of the all-time greats on Formula 1, a generational talent in his own right, lamented that the current software and AI-controlled power units do not allow a driver to use his talent to make a difference.

"It's just your throttle input," he said. "By being faster sometimes in the corner, you lose more in the straight afterwards, which, of course, is not how it should be.

"In every kind of racing series, if you gain time in the corner, that's just free lap time. You would not then be penalized on the straight, normally. Where now, you really have to think about, 'Oh, I have to use a different gear, braking technique, or the way you go back on throttle'.

"It's basically just neutralizing a lot of lap time," he pointed out, "and that's why, I guess, in general, you see a lot of close battles between teams and also teammates, because sometimes you cannot make a difference. You're not allowed to make a difference because it will just penalize you on the next straight."

The 28-year-old also complained that overtaking is not fun anymore, as it is largely down to pressing a button and getting a power boost.

"It's very different," he pointed out. "I don't really enjoy it that much. Sometimes it's actually very funny where you see people in front of you fighting; they're using their battery, and actually, by doing nothing, you just pass them. You just pass them on the next straight by, literally doing nothing.

"Not how it should be," Verstappen insisted. "Also, having those wings open everywhere, you reduce a lot the drag while following.

"Of course, it's done for the obvious reasons, but I prefer to draft up to someone and then maybe go for an overtake on the brakes or whatever. Now, the overtake sometimes is done in the middle of the straight; it's a bit odd.

"The problem is, of course, that real racing fans understand. The non-racing fans think it's cool because you just see more overtakes, but it's not real.

"It's not what racing is about," the 71-time Formula 1 winner concluded. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)