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Max Verstappen followed his successful Canadian Grand Prix podium finish with a comment on next year’s regulations. He confirmed that, for him, 60/40 internal combustion power to electric power is the floor, not the ceiling, and anything short of it could lead to his retirement.
Speaking after the Canadian race, where he climbed onto the podium following George Russell‘s retirement, Verstappen was asked directly where he’d want the combustion-to-electric power balance to land. His answer left little to interpret. When Sky Sports F1 confirmed the FIA’s proposed 60/40 target for 2027, Verstappen replied: “That’s the bare minimum.”
The four-time world champion has been among the most vocal critics of the 2026 regulations since they introduced a near-equal split between combustion and battery power, calling the experience “anti-racing” and likening it to “Mario Kart.”
The frustration has mostly come from the amount of lifting-and-coasting the new power units demand in order to replenish the battery. Drivers aren’t managing a race; they’re managing a charge level.
The full exchange from the post-race press session makes clear exactly where Verstappen stands:
Interviewer: There’s some quotes that came out from yesterday saying it’s not mentally durable for me to stay like this with the power units the way they are. What sort of percentage would you like, do you feel, then? If we’re at 50/50, they’re looking at 60/40, 70/30, where would you like it to get to?
Max Verstappen: The minimum that they try to get to for next year. That’s the minimum.
Interviewer: Which is?
Max Verstappen: The 60/40.
Interviewer: 60/40. You’d be happy with that?
Max Verstappen: That’s the bare minimum.
Interviewer: A bare minimum. Are you serious about that in terms of it’s just not something you enjoy or want to do then?
Max Verstappen: Yeah, well the thing, I know how pure other motorsports can feel like, you know? So then when you come back to this it’s just… not very nice. I don’t want to be too negative now after a race like this, but I know what it feels like to drive pure racingcars and pure overtakes, pure racing and just natural driving. This is all a bit like, very anti-driving, anti-racing. And that’s not what Formula 1 should be about. So I really hope that next year we can get that 60/40 because that will naturally help everything a bit.
Formula 1 agreed in principle to move away from the current near-equal power split, with F1 bosses and teams aligning on a target of 60/40 in favour of the internal combustion engine through hardware tweaks to the engines.
The proposal would increase fuel flow and reduce MGU-K output during qualifying, pushing the driving feel closer to what the 2025 cars produced. While this sounds like a great move on paper, it gets very political.
Several manufacturers are believed to prefer sticking closer to their original power unit concepts, since minimal disruption could help preserve the advantages built during development.
Once manufacturers vote on a final package, the measures would still need ratification by the World Motor Sport Council.
Verstappen had previously warned that staying in Formula 1 would be “mentally not doable” if the regulations failed to improve. He has already been dipping into other categories, running in the Nürburgring 24 Hours with his own GT3 entry. And tells you something about where his enthusiasm is being directed when F1 doesn’t feel like racing. If the manufacturers water down the 60/40 proposal before 2027, the conversation about his future will restart.
Continue reading...
Speaking after the Canadian race, where he climbed onto the podium following George Russell‘s retirement, Verstappen was asked directly where he’d want the combustion-to-electric power balance to land. His answer left little to interpret. When Sky Sports F1 confirmed the FIA’s proposed 60/40 target for 2027, Verstappen replied: “That’s the bare minimum.”
The four-time world champion has been among the most vocal critics of the 2026 regulations since they introduced a near-equal split between combustion and battery power, calling the experience “anti-racing” and likening it to “Mario Kart.”
The frustration has mostly come from the amount of lifting-and-coasting the new power units demand in order to replenish the battery. Drivers aren’t managing a race; they’re managing a charge level.
The full exchange from the post-race press session makes clear exactly where Verstappen stands:
Interviewer: There’s some quotes that came out from yesterday saying it’s not mentally durable for me to stay like this with the power units the way they are. What sort of percentage would you like, do you feel, then? If we’re at 50/50, they’re looking at 60/40, 70/30, where would you like it to get to?
Max Verstappen: The minimum that they try to get to for next year. That’s the minimum.
Interviewer: Which is?
Max Verstappen: The 60/40.
Interviewer: 60/40. You’d be happy with that?
Max Verstappen: That’s the bare minimum.
Interviewer: A bare minimum. Are you serious about that in terms of it’s just not something you enjoy or want to do then?
Max Verstappen: Yeah, well the thing, I know how pure other motorsports can feel like, you know? So then when you come back to this it’s just… not very nice. I don’t want to be too negative now after a race like this, but I know what it feels like to drive pure racingcars and pure overtakes, pure racing and just natural driving. This is all a bit like, very anti-driving, anti-racing. And that’s not what Formula 1 should be about. So I really hope that next year we can get that 60/40 because that will naturally help everything a bit.
Why the 60/40 Revision Still Isn’t Guaranteed
Formula 1 agreed in principle to move away from the current near-equal power split, with F1 bosses and teams aligning on a target of 60/40 in favour of the internal combustion engine through hardware tweaks to the engines.
The proposal would increase fuel flow and reduce MGU-K output during qualifying, pushing the driving feel closer to what the 2025 cars produced. While this sounds like a great move on paper, it gets very political.
Several manufacturers are believed to prefer sticking closer to their original power unit concepts, since minimal disruption could help preserve the advantages built during development.
Once manufacturers vote on a final package, the measures would still need ratification by the World Motor Sport Council.
Verstappen had previously warned that staying in Formula 1 would be “mentally not doable” if the regulations failed to improve. He has already been dipping into other categories, running in the Nürburgring 24 Hours with his own GT3 entry. And tells you something about where his enthusiasm is being directed when F1 doesn’t feel like racing. If the manufacturers water down the 60/40 proposal before 2027, the conversation about his future will restart.
Continue reading...
