Max Verstappen's displeasure must be a genuine concern for Formula 1

Verstappen and his former Red Bull Racing boss, Christian Horner, were the first to raise the voice about the new F1 power units but both were dismissed at the time by FIA, Formula One Management, and rivals.

Fast forward to 2026, and both the Dutchman and the Briton turned out to be right, sadly.

And while Horner is no longer around, for now, Verstappen is still being vocal about the new F1 cars with his fellow drivers now on board, apart from George Russell and Kimi Antonelli who are happy with their new car and no one can blame them to be honest based on how they performed in the 2026 Australian Grand Prix last weekend.

Verstappen has always maintained that the fun factor is very important for him to remain in F1 especially as he now has four titles to his name and he has been trying his hand at other categories and will be doing that again in May at the 24 Hours Nurburgring.

Herbert warned FOM not to downplay the seriousness of the criticism from the drivers, especially Verstappen; he said: "They've got to be very, very careful that the drivers like Max don't walk away from it, because they're not getting the challenge.

"It should be the toughest fastest thing on the planet and still quick, but you just know that it could be a lot quicker with a normal combustion engine pushing out all the horsepower.

"I wish someone had had the gonads last year to say,' What we have got is great. We should keep it as it is.' I'd loved to have had what we had last year.

"Max Verstappen's displeasure must be a genuine concern," he went on. "You don't want to alienate your stars in the sport because it's the drivers who are the stars, not the bloody cars. They are the ones who should be tested. They put their life on the line to do it. Are they going to put their life on the line when it's not really interesting at all? No.

"That means the sport is going in the wrong direction. The direction should always be the optimum. It's the optimum tech. But I'm not bothered about the optimum tech.

"At the end of the day, it's about the human element coming into play and the human element is being lost because the MCU sometimes controls a lot of what's going on. You don't want the computer to control it, you want the driver to control it, but you don't want the driver to control bits of it, you want the driver to control all of it."

Verstappen said the race in Melbourne was like playing Mario Kart at home, and Herbert commented: "Max is alluding to the fact that he is not pushing himself to the limit.

"It's only going to be the technology that keeps improving as the season goes on and upgrades come in. The driving experience is not going to change, if anything it will diminish.

"Max always wants to get a thrill from driving and the driving experience that you get from a Formula 1 car where you push yourself to a place that maybe you never thought you'd be able to push yourself to. At the present time they aren't being pushed to their limit. If they're not pushing to their limits, he's going to get a kick out of the 24 hour race at Nurburgring.

"The car is slower there, but the track is very exhilarating. And he will be pushing that car to its limits, rather than the car preventing you from getting to your limit," Herbert maintained.

Shifting to a more personal view on the topic, Herbert, a winner of three Grands Prix, said: "As a former driver and now fan, I don't want to be thinking about clipping and boosting and overtake mode and active wings.

"I just want to see the drivers being tested and they're not being tested in the right way. They're being tested in a gaming way. And is that what F1 is about? It's not about a gaming way and buttons and pushing it at the right time.

"Where's the skill gone? Anybody can do that. And you don't want these cars where my grandmother is able to go through the Eau Rouge.

"It should not just be flat out; it should be damn on the limit. That's what Max wants. That's what Lando [Norris]  wants. That's how the drivers want to be tested," Herbert concluded.