Max Verstappen says racing on street circuits this year with F1's new-generation ground effect cars led to his worst ever experience in Formula 1.
Wholesale changes to the sport's technical regulations for 2022 led to the introduction of a generation of cars designed around the philosophy of ground effects, where most of a machine's downforce is generated by a car's floor and underbody rather than by its front and rear wings.
Red Bull designed a package that was the class of its field but also a machine that appeared relatively tame compared to the bouncing broncos entered by its rivals, and especially Mercedes.
But Verstappen suggests that outside perceptions were deceptive, because onboard Red Bull's RB18, the Dutchman suffered a rough and sometimes unpredictable ride on F1's uncompromising street circuits.
"It is very tricky, especially in [Monaco] qualifying when you go to the limit, it's really tough to nail a lap," Verstappen told Viaplay.
"I'm personally more about high-speed corners, for me Spa 100% [should never leave the calendar], because that's really where you can make a big difference as a driver.
"Now with the new cars, driving on a street circuit is the worst experience ever. It's just because they're way too heavy, too stiff.
"I was driving in Singapore - and I love Singapore, it's a really amazing track - and I was really disappointed just with the how the cars are behaving, compared to like 2015, 2016 where it's a little bit more agile and you can ride the kerbs.
"Now the cars are so stiff [that] as soon as you touch the kerb you almost end up on the other side of the track."
Formula 1's growing popularity has led to the sport expanding its calendar with, for instance, two events added in the US - Miami and Las Vegas.
Drivers discovered the former last spring and comments were mixed while everyone will converge to Sin City come November of next year.
Commenting on America's future glitzy event, Verstappen said that he'd "prefer to go to Vegas in different circumstances", and that nothing beats the experience of racing at full speed on a an "old school" track. .
"We're getting more and more street circuits, which I don't enjoy with a Formula One car, they're not designed to drive on the street track," he said.
"A Formula One car comes alive on proper high-speed corners.
"I understand [having] a few street circuits a year, but not too many.
"It's better to have the old school tracks, like Suzuka, a qualifying lap around there is so much more fun than random street circuits."
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