Max Verstappen says: Even if you give us a rental car, we'll give you a good show

The Canadian Grand Prix was the second race after the tweaking of the regulations to allow for better racing, and while the show was great with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli battling in their Mercedes W17s and Verstappen fighting with Lewis Hamilton, there was no denying that these cars are wrong.

The topic of the great show in Canada was presented to Antonelli, Hamilton, and Verstappen in the post-race press conference, and three delivered a verdict that was far from complimentary.

"I mean, it's definitely not second nature, that's for sure," Hamilton began. "I think it still continues to be a weird feeling. You go down the power, you open up the SM, and then the power dies like halfway down the straight and the RPM starts dropping.

"It doesn't feel what motorsport should be," the Briton added. "The engine should be ringing its neck off right to the end of the straight and just pulling and pulling. That's what they used to do in the V8 times or the V10 times. They would just pull and pull."

However, Hamilton hailed the new chassis because it allows closer racing. He added: "I think ultimately the car is fundamentally a better design, so we can race and get close and follow each other closely, and I think that's the best part of it.

"The power part, I think, is less exciting," the seven-time F1 Champion concluded.

Antonelli, understandably, took a more diplomatic approach; he commented: "Sometimes it triggers you a little bit how the system works.

"But definitely also with the changes that were made, also the FIA giving teams a bit more allowance on system, definitely has helped quite a bit to make things a bit easier.

"I think that the cars, to follow at least for now, is much better than last year," he added, echoing Hamilton's comments. "You can actually follow a lot closer, and that definitely creates more racing.

"But on the power unit side, definitely I cannot complain about my power unit because the team did an incredible job, but also they did great, of course, on the chassis side.

"But I feel like, yeah, with the PU, obviously there's still work to do, and it will be interesting to see what's going to happen in the next couple of years, if the regulation is going to change, if they're going to give a bit more power to the combustion, a bit less to the electric, how it's going to play out, and if it's going to happen.

"But I think that will be a further step in the right direction. But I think already now it's a lot. I mean, also system-wise it's better than the start of the season, and definitely also for me it's becoming more natural compared to what it was in Melbourne, for example," the Italian concluded.

Verstappen credited the Formula 1 drivers for delivering decent racing in 2026 despite the new cars' shortcomings. He explained: "I mean, for me, even this season, of course, I've been racing also different kinds of cars, and especially last week, that reminds me how pure motorsport can be and how great the racing can be.

"So, yeah, when I come back into Formula 1, the thing is of course here, especially most of the drivers, we're the best in the world. So even if you would give us a rental car, we'll give you a good show and we'll race each other very hard and well. So it has nothing to do in that sense with the rules.

"But for me, while driving, yeah, it's all a bit confusing," the Dutchman revealed. "It's not what Formula 1 should be about. It's way too complex, all of this. Most of the rules, the fans don't even know what we are dealing with while driving, what is allowed when you're behind or when you're the car ahead, what we have to do on a formation lap or what we have to do in an out-lap, or how much battery that we're allowed to charge.

"All these things are just such a shame that we have to deal with all these things. And, yeah, for me F1 just needs to be more pure, and I really hope that what they try to do next year will go through because I think that is necessary, the minimum necessary, to make it a bit more natural and a bit more back to normal, or at least a bit more pure racing.

"But like I said, as drivers, give us any kind of car, we'll always race and give good entertainment or a good show. Doesn't matter; people say, 'Oh, but look now, the show is great, the cars were fighting,' but it has nothing to do with the car. It just needs to be more pure," the Red Bull Racing ace concluded.