Verstappen: F1 power at Spa ‘more or less what a F3 car has’

Max Verstappen is trying his best to rein in his criticism of Formula 1’s regulations, but the Dutchman still couldn’t help arguing that energy management has robbed Spa-Francorchamps of its defining high-speed challenge.

The historic home of the Belgian Grand Prix has long been the place where drivers measure both machinery and nerve. Flat-out blasts through iconic corners such as Raidillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont have traditionally separated the fearless from the merely fast.

But the sport’s new-era regulations have fundamentally changed that experience, with aggressive energy management stripping much of the spectacle from one of the Grand Prix racing’s most revered circuits.

Verstappen, who will line up on the front row of Sunday’s grid, highlighted how depleted battery reserves through Spa’s middle sector leave drivers relying almost exclusively on the internal combustion engine, dramatically reducing available power.

"For most of sector two, you run just on the engine. So, what is that? 450bhp, 500bhp? Something like that, which is, I guess, less or more or less what a Formula 3 car has but with F1 downforce," Verstappen said.

"So, you can imagine, of course, that that is not very exciting to drive. But honestly, I don't want to sit here and complain again, because probably someone will shoot me outside the door.

"But like I said before, I'm mentally just adjusting to it. I'm trying to make the best out of it.

"Even though, of course, it's not what I like, not what I love to do in Formula 1. But I can also sit at home and drive nothing. But that also doesn't do anything.

"So, I'm just trying my best."

Piastri echoes Verstappen’s concerns

Verstappen was not the only leading driver left disappointed by the changes.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri believes Pouhon—once one of the calendar’s defining high-speed corners—has effectively lost its status as a genuine challenge.

“Pouhon is pretty nasty as well. It's probably more appropriate calling it the bend in the straight now because it's not a corner anymore,” the Aussie admitted.

“It is a shame because it's always been a great corner, and it's always been a good corner for me as well. It's strange just with how different things are this year and also the power you have out of the corners.”

Piastri also explained that adapting to the inconsistent power delivery has become one of the biggest challenges drivers now face.

Depending on where they are on the lap, they can exit one corner with maximum hybrid assistance and the next with little more than combustion-engine power.

“A lot of the places now we only have the combustion engine giving us power. So, you come out of some corners with close to 1,000 horsepower, and you come out of other corners with 550, 600, whatever it is.

“Getting your head around that is pretty tough. It's definitely been more challenging in some ways, but it's been a pretty different Spa to previous years.”

Sainz: Current rules 'should never have happened'

Williams driver and GPDA director Carlos Sainz also sided with his Red Bull and McLaren colleagues, arguing that the new regulations have diminished the enjoyment of qualifying laps at one of Formula 1’s greatest venues.

"No one out there is enjoying the qualifying lap as much as we did last year,” he said.

Despite his criticism, Sainz stopped short of repeatedly attacking the regulations, believing the focus should now be on improving them rather than dwelling on the shortcomings.

"Having said that, I don't want to keep belittling my own sport because it's not going to do any good.

"I think we all know this is not good enough. That needs to change. It will change. It will evolve. But yeah, hopefully next year is a step better and the year after another step better.

• Read also: Verstappen praises Hadjar after pair’s handy Q3 slipstream tactic

"But whoever saw these simulations in 2022, 2023 and didn’t look at it and say, 'How can we even accept that?' needs to review what happened there because it should have never happened.

"But now we're here, we're having some exciting races, the sport is still growing, so time to move on."

Taken together, the comments paint a striking picture. While the 2026 regulations have ushered Formula 1 into a new hybrid era, several of its biggest stars believe they have also robbed Spa-Francorchamps of one of its defining traits: the relentless, high-speed commitment that made its most famous corners legendary.

For drivers accustomed to attacking every inch of the Ardennes circuit, managing energy has become as important as managing courage.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook