{"id":488435,"date":"2026-02-18T18:38:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T18:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/488435\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T18:38:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T18:38:45","slug":"i-already-said-that-in-2023-but-nobody-listened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/488435\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I already said that in 2023, but nobody listened\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Max Verstappen<\/a> described Formula 1\u2019s new technical regulations as \u201cFormula E on steroids\u201d last week, he immediately added that not everyone would be pleased with his media comments \u2013 especially those with commercial interests in the sport.<\/p>\n

At the start of the second week of pre-season testing in Bahrain, the Dutchman said he had not heard any negative feedback from higher up since, and that he would not lose sleep over it anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I haven\u2019t heard anything,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I haven\u2019t really been concerned with that either. I just gave my honest opinion, and I think that should be allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

Verstappen does not share McLaren<\/a>\u2019s view on F1 starts<\/p>\n

Verstappen explained that behind the scenes he even received support from other F1 drivers: \u201cMost of them think the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it was pointed out during the Dutch media session that there seemed to be two camps \u2013 since Lando Norris<\/a> indicated that he actually appreciated the new cars \u2013 Verstappen laughed: \u201cThat one camp is more like a small easy-up tent, the rest are in a very big tent. So it\u2019s one small camp and one big camp!<\/p>\n

\"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sam Bagnall \/ Sutton Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI might be a bit more extreme in how I say it, but that\u2019s also because I don\u2019t really care that much [about what others think]. Some people are a bit more diplomatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella called for several changes after the first week of testing. He was mainly concerned about three elements: the start procedure without the MGU-H to support the turbo, dangerous closing speeds due to lifting, and overtaking becoming (too) difficult.<\/p>\n

When Motorsport.com asked Verstappen whether he agreed that something needed to be done about these three aspects, the Red Bull driver responded: \u201cThe last two things, yes, but I already said that back in 2023. You can raise those points now, but maybe they should have looked at it a bit earlier as a team.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs for the start, that\u2019s simply the choice you make with the turbo. We consciously made a certain decision there. And those who have problems with it, well, they can also start from the pitlane. Then you\u2019re out of everyone\u2019s way and you can just join the race from there,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

Verstappen predicted extra downshifting three years ago<\/p>\n

Verstappen\u2019s reference to having flagged the main concerns in 2023 dates back to a press conference in Austria \u2013 where Motorsport.com asked the Dutchman about his first impressions based on the early simulator runs. At the time, the Red Bull driver already warned about downshifting and lift-and-coast on the straights.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I said those things in 2023, I immediately got a lot of criticism,\u201d he pointed out in Bahrain. \u201cThey told me, \u2018No, that\u2019s not correct and it won\u2019t be like that\u2019. But now it turns out that for 90% it actually is like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current situation therefore came as no surprise to Verstappen: \u201cYou could see this coming. In recent years, not that much has changed, just a few small things in terms of how you deploy and harvest the energy. But yes, you could see this coming from a long way off.<\/p>\n

“There are also a few other things. With the wings open on the straights, everyone has a lot less drag, which makes it harder to pick up a slipstream. And when the wings close again at the end of the straight, you bottom out quite hard. The downforce that suddenly comes onto the tyres also affects a lot of things. You have to take all of that into account.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Mark Thompson \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Even if small adjustments are still made, Verstappen believes the overall package will not improve dramatically in the coming years.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe the concept itself isn\u2019t right and isn\u2019t efficient enough,\u201d he suggested. \u201cIt will improve a bit, but not to a point where you suddenly think everything makes sense. Unless you change the rules, of course, but that\u2019s not up to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether that last option was even possible, Verstappen concluded: \u201cEverything is possible. If you frame it as a safety issue, you can change a lot of things. But whether that\u2019s realistic, I don\u2019t know. I haven\u2019t discussed it with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the FIA already made clear that it did not intend to do so. Its statement read: \u201cIt was agreed that no immediate major regulatory changes were required given that initial evidence and feedback remains immature and that premature change carried the risk of increased instability ahead of the first race. Further reviews will be carried out once more data becomes available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos from Bahrain Pre-Season Testing – Day 4<\/p>\n

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\"Valtteri<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Fernando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Charles<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Nico<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Fernando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Lando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Alexander<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Alexander<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Sergio<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Pierre<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Arvid<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Esteban<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Charles<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Andrea<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Pierre<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Esteban<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Liam<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Sergio<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Nico<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Fernando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Isack<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Sergio<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Alexander<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Lando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Lando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Isack<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"George<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Fernando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Charles<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Isack<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Lando<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Andrea<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Esteban<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Carlos<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Charles<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Gabriel<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Esteban<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Lance<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Charles<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Sergio<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"George<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Liam<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Oliver<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"George<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Franco<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Gabriel<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"George<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Oscar<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Oscar<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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\"Lance<\/p>\n


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\n Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 4, in photos
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Read Also:<\/p>\n

We want your opinion!<\/p>\n

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?<\/p>\n

Take our 5 minute survey.<\/a><\/p>\n

– The Motorsport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After Max Verstappen described Formula 1\u2019s new technical regulations as \u201cFormula E on steroids\u201d last week, he immediately…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488436,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,239802,245984,246855,817,813,816,825,246854,946,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-488435","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-bahrain-international-circuit","11":"tag-bahrain-pre-season-2","12":"tag-but-nobody-listenedu2019","13":"tag-f1","14":"tag-formula-1","15":"tag-formula1","16":"tag-max-verstappen","17":"tag-max-verstappen-on-f1-2026-flaws-u2018i-already-said-that-in-2023","18":"tag-red-bull-racing","19":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}