'That's the reason': F1 boss clears air about Max Verstappen's participation in upcoming season
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'That's the reason': F1 boss clears air about Max Verstappen's participation in upcoming season")
F1 boss clears air about Max Verstappen's particiaption in upcoming season Photograph: (WikiCommons)
The concern among the drivers is super clipping' - in some cases, when a driver is at full throttle, the part of engine which is responsible for kinetic energy recovery, steps in to run power unit and works against the existing power and means the car's speed drops despite foot on the pedal.
Formula 1 2026 is set to start next month with the first race of the season, Australian Grand Prix, set to take place on Sunday (Mar 8). The drivers', however, are not liking a slew of changes made to cars this year with multiple-time champion Max Verstappen even putting his participation in doubt. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, however, is sure that Verstappen will continue to race because the four-time winner "loves Formula 1. There's no doubt about it." Domenicali also urged fans to 'stay calm' about the new rules which the 2025 champion Lanod Norris says 'does not give full experience.'
F1 boss clears air about Verstappen's participation
Speaking to selective reporters on Thursday (Feb 19) after addressing driver concerns earlier in the week, Domenicali said: "I met yesterday Max because as you know Max is incredible and he has a way of saying something that could be sometimes interpreted in a certain way."
The F1 chief was referring to Verstappen's long-standing statement on his participation depending on the enjoyment het gets from driving current generation cars. Earlier in the month, Verstappen had compared the latest F1 cars to 'Formula E on steroids.'
"I'm sure that with the new car, from what I've seen and talked to some of my friends in there, that's going to be also a really cool car. But let them be Formula E. We should stay Formula 1, and let's try not to mix that," the Red Bull driver also commented a week later.
Trending Stories
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Asked about how he's certain about Verstappen's particiaption, Domenicali asserted: "Because I have a very good relation[ship] with Max. I know him very, very well. I spend a lot of time with him. That's the reason. Full stop. And he loves Formula 1. There's no doubt about it."
What are new rules coming in F1 2026
In the upcoming F1 2026 seasons, cars are primed for more wheel-to-wheel racing while ensuring a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electric power. The drivers will now have to focus on saving battery on corners for full throttle on staright stretch, something which maked driving these cars so easy to handle on corners that even "Aston Martin chef could do it," as per team driver and former world champion Fernando Alonso.
The focus is very much on regeneration of batteries during the laps. There are two battery-based power modes now - Overtake mode, which replaces the drag reduction system (DRS) as a pure overtaking aid available to drivers within a second of the car in front, and the separate boost mode, which can be used at a driver's discretion around the lap.
The concern among the drivers is super clipping' - in some cases, when a driver is at full throttle, the part of engine which is responsible for kinetic energy recovery, steps in to run power unit and works against the existing power and means the car's speed drops despite the accelerator pedal on the floor.
With such changes coming in in a sport which built its name around speed, the season would be interesting to watch for not only fans but the teams as well.
