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Do you think Max will quit F1 at the end of the season if the engine changes don’t come? – Paddy
There’s no question that Max Verstappen was genuine when he said he couldn’t face another year driving his cars.
In Montreal, he made it clear he didn’t want to stick around if the motoring rules didn’t change. “It doesn’t do me any good in my mind to stay like this,” he said. “Of course not.”
He admitted after the race that he was “excited” about his battle with Hamilton. But he also expanded on why he doesn’t like the new cars, or more precisely, the new engines, the constant need for energy management.
Verstappen said the Nürburgring 24 Hours reminded him “how pure motorsport can be”.
In F1, this year, “For me, driving, everything is a bit confusing. Formula 1 is not what it should be. It’s a very complicated way.
“Most of the rules, the fans don’t know what we’re going through when we’re driving, what’s allowed when they’re the car behind you or in front of you, what we’re supposed to do on a formation lap or what we’re supposed to do out of a lap, or even how much battery we’re allowed to charge.
“It is a shame that we have to deal with all these things. F1 should be cleaner and I really hope that what they are trying to do next year (b) will pass because I think it is important, at least the necessary, to return to a little more natural and a little more normal, or at least a little more clean competition.
“As drivers, give us any kind of car, we always give racing and good entertainment or a good show. But it has nothing to do with the car. It just needs to be cleaner.”
Verstappen is very clear, but all drivers feel basically the same.
“You still sometimes get a little carried away with how the system works,” Antonelli said after the race.
And “it’s still a strange feeling,” Hamilton said: “You go on the power, you turn on (straight-line mode), then the power dies to half on the straight and the RPM starts to drop.
“Motorsport doesn’t feel what it should be, the engine has to ring its neck to the top of the straight and pull and pull.”
Verstappen refers to the current attempt by F1 bosses to change the ratio between internal combustion and electric power to 60:40 from a nominal 50:50 (about 54:46 in reality).
This can be done by increasing the fuel-flow limit, and it reduces the need for power management, especially the efficiency, and makes driving “on the limit” again.
Regulators have the opportunity to address some of the unique features of the new rules that make it more difficult for cars and engines to handle on a hot lap as they are required not to exceed specific power limits.
I won’t go into that because it’s incredibly complex – but when you hear what the drivers have to do, the reaction is to scratch your head and wonder how on earth F1 ended up in this mess.
The FIA said two weeks ago that there was “agreement in principle” on the 60:40 move, but there has not yet been enough support from engine manufacturers for the change process.
However, the bosses are trying to rely on the companies that opposed it – Ferrari, Audi, Honda and Cadillac. And there is hope that this week, in particular, an agreement can be reached with a favorable deal that addresses the concerns of Ferrari and Audi.
It is worth mentioning that the rules have some superficial positives, mainly related to racing.
The new cars are lighter, smaller and more stylish. And ‘overtake mode’ – which gives a car an extra 0.5MJ of electricity per lap if it’s within a second of the car in front – has led to the frequent lap battles that have characterized this season, with cars passing and often overtaking.
The hope is to be able to maintain this while addressing concerns about the new engines negatively impacting the cleanliness of the ride.
