Max Verstappen is “used to being up front” and so is not “having as much fun” as he would like to right now in F1 2026, so says Cadillac F1 board member, and 1978 World Champion, Mario Andretti.
Those comments from Andretti come after Verstappen unleashed his fiercest attack yet on the F1 2026 regulations following the Chinese Grand Prix. Andretti says that it is up to each driver to “just deal with” what they have and “make the best of it”. Verstappen had, ironically, called F1 2026 “Mario kart”.
Mario Andretti tackles Max Verstappen F1 2026 criticism
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Battery deployment, harvesting and super clipping play a critical role in performance and overtaking with this new formula. Various drivers have expressed concerns over this, including four-time World Champion Verstappen, who has made it very clear that he is not a fan.
Verstappen called the regulations “a joke” following the Chinese GP, and said any fans who like this Formula 1 “really don’t know what racing is”. He quipped that F1 2026 is real-life “Mario Kart” and suggested that “some of course will say it’s great because they are winning races”, in a nod to Mercedes.
Verstappen also stressed that his stance would not change if Red Bull had made a strong start to the season. Instead, Verstappen has collected just eight points across the opening two rounds. He retired from the Chinese GP with an ERS coolant failure.
Formula 1’s own Mario, that being Mario Andretti, was asked for his thoughts on the racing so far in this new F1 era, and Verstappen’s comments.
“There are many aspects overall that are positive. Not everything is negative, so to speak,” said Andretti as he appeared on the Drive to Wynn podcast.
“Max says that, obviously, the teams that have embraced this thing, that don’t have the issues that they have, are quite happy.
“But you know, the likes of Max, he’s used to being up front, and having things pretty much going his way, and so he’s not having as much fun as he would like to right now.
“But, you’re going to have some of that. It’s up to everyone to just deal with whatever hand that they’re dealt and make the best of it.”
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With Verstappen clearly not enjoying this version of Formula 1 racing, Andretti was asked where the joy of driving came from for himself, and whether he sees it in this ruleset.
“Obviously, the joy of driving is to have equipment under you that’s capable, and then extract the maximum out of it,” he said.
“As much as things change, all of the satisfactions that you’re looking for are basically the same.
“So just totally trying to understand everything that you need to be able to do a better job than the guy next to you.
“So all of it is, again, I repeat, as much as things change, still, they remain the same in that respect.”
F1 2026 resumes next weekend with the Japanese Grand Prix. It is an event which Verstappen has won four years in a row.
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