![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773975856_357_max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThere was nothing shocking about what Max Verstappen said when he appeared in front of the media right after the Chinese Grand Prix. It\u2019s well known the four-time world champion isn\u2019t a fan of the new rules \u2013 and you\u2019d have to forgive him for being slightly frustrated after he had to retire from the race due to an ERS cooling issue after 45 laps.<\/p>\n
Yet, at least visibly, he wasn\u2019t too bothered or particularly upset. Instead, when speaking about the kind of racing F1 2026 offers, he was composed, but still as blunt as you\u2019d expect him to be.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s terrible,” he countered when Autosport\u2019s Stuart Codling offered him a point of view that looked “a little bit less artificial” in Shanghai than it did a week earlier in Melbourne. “If someone likes this, then you really don’t know what racing is about.”<\/p>\n
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He was then asked whether he feels F1 decision-makers are as “alarmed” as drivers are: “I think they understand where we are coming from as drivers,” he said. “I think I speak for most of the drivers. Some, of course, will say it’s great because they are winning races, which is fair enough. But if you just speak to most of the drivers, it’s not what we like. I don’t think it’s what the real F1 fans like.”<\/p>\n
He made a remark that Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are not too upset about how things are in modern F1, as they are the ones winning \u2013 but still chose to speak on behalf of the \u201creal fans\u201d in a rather categorical manner.<\/p>\n
“Maybe some fans like it, but they don’t understand racing,” he insisted.<\/p>\n
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n
Photo by: Mark Sutton \/ Formula 1 via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Yet that still raises a question: Is he actually right in such a statement? And who, ultimately, defines what real “racing” is?<\/p>\n
As someone who voiced his concerns about the future \u2013 now present \u2013 of the sport, Verstappen is probably the one who has earned the right to be critical. Not only because of his status as one of F1\u2019s leading drivers, but also because he has always been consistent. It was Verstappen who spoke about the issues F1 is currently facing with its new formula years ago \u2013 and he isn\u2019t changing his tone week in, week out, unlike some other drivers (hello, Lando, how are you today?).<\/p>\n
Millions of casual viewers tune in to watch the World Cup, many of them not knowing what offside is<\/p>\n
Max is someone who is always happy to speak his mind openly and honestly \u2013 and that post-race media briefing in Shanghai was no different. Unlike others, he isn\u2019t shielded from the press by PR: during these encounters, it\u2019s Verstappen who decides when to leave \u2013 and he always waits until all questions are asked, without needing an assistant to drag him away by the sleeve. That\u2019s something \u2013 among dozens of other qualities \u2013 he deserves credit for.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one driver who has earned the right to deliver the shared drivers\u2019 point of view on F1 2026, it\u2019s Verstappen. And his voice should be heard.<\/p>\n
But isn\u2019t he missing \u2013 in his line of thinking, or at least in his wording \u2013 one vital aspect: why should someone who enjoys the racing in 2026 automatically be labelled as someone who doesn\u2019t “understand racing”? And who should be the ultimate judge of the value of the product F1 produces?<\/p>\n
Formula 1 isn\u2019t only a sport, after all \u2013 it\u2019s also a global entertainment business. That\u2019s not a recent development \u2013 it has been the case for decades, as the world\u2019s leading racing series competes in reach with events like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n
They all thrive on their audience, and they all \u2013 whether we like it or not \u2013 have to adapt to it.<\/p>\n
![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774313295_305_charles-leclerc-ferrari-lewis-.jpg\")
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes<\/p>\n
Photo by: James Sutton \/ Formula 1 \/ Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s world, the success of a sport is directly linked to its commercial appeal. And while the athletes \u2013 whether Olympians or footballers \u2013 are the main actors and attractions, they are still part of that ecosystem. They are not the clients.<\/p>\n
No one would spend vast sums building stadiums and sporting venues, sometimes turning cities into construction sites for years, if it were only for a group of talented individuals to gather and determine who can jump further or drive faster than others. It happens because thousands buy tickets to witness it firsthand, and millions more tune in via TV, phones, tablets, and whatever else.<\/p>\n
And they, the millions, are the clients \u2013 even if they have no idea how a battery in an F1 car delivers power to the wheels, or even how an internal combustion engine works. Millions of casual viewers tune in to watch the World Cup, many of them not knowing what offside is. It would be ridiculous for someone like Lionel Messi to tell them not to bother. To accuse the audience of \u201cnot understanding\u201d is a rather strange position for professional sport.<\/p>\n
Some of the overtakes (if not most) in Melbourne and China looked very different from what we\u2019ve been used to in recent years. What has already been labelled as yo-yo racing is something entirely different \u2013 and yes, perhaps, also somewhat artificial. But who defines what overtakes should be? Must they always happen at the end of a straight, under braking? And if so, when did that become the definition of \u201creal racing\u201d? Tazio Nuvolari or Juan Manuel Fangio might have had very different views on that.<\/p>\n
Motorsport, by its nature and complexity, has always evolved more than something like football. Yet the essence of racing has remained the same: it is about the combination of driver and machine, and the goal of completing a race distance faster than the others. The surrounding factors have changed \u2013 the rules, the technology, the format \u2013 but that core remains true today: the best car and driver combination wins.<\/p>\n
![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774313296_982_max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg\")
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Ultimately, what drivers may want Formula 1 to be could turn out to be very different from what the audience actually embraces. A high-downforce, flat-out driving style with qualifying laps from start to finish may not produce as many overtaking opportunities as the flawed energy-management formula we have now.<\/p>\n
Would that be \u201creal racing\u201d? And would it be worth watching?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the second question that is arguably more important.<\/p>\n
It is the appeal to a mass audience that makes Formula 1 what it is \u2013 with drivers themselves being beneficiaries of that commercial success, driven by the need to shape the product in a way that resonates with viewers. They wouldn\u2019t be flying private around the world to race these cars if F1 were not such a successful global entertainment business.<\/p>\n
What is clear, though, is that those watching should come first. And telling them they are \u201cwrong\u201d for enjoying it doesn\u2019t quite feel right<\/p>\n
Verstappen is not only a great driver \u2013 he is also one of the strongest ambassadors for the core values of racing within that entertainment environment. But making the audience feel wrong for enjoying the current product may only make it harder for the sport to find the right direction, as fans are inevitably influenced by the views of its biggest stars.<\/p>\n
A true Verstappen fan might now even find themselves questioning why they enjoy something their idol so clearly dislikes.<\/p>\n
The underlying question, then, is simple: what does Formula 1 exist for? For drivers to enjoy it, or for the audience \u2013 including those who may not \u201cunderstand racing\u201d in the same way drivers do?<\/p>\n
There is probably an ideal version of Formula 1 \u2013 one that satisfies drivers while delivering great racing for fans. What we have now may not be that. But that only highlights how difficult it is to strike the right balance, if it is possible at all.<\/p>\n
What is clear, though, is that those watching should come first. And telling them they are \u201cwrong\u201d for enjoying it doesn\u2019t quite feel right.<\/p>\n
![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774313296_619_max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg\")
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Formula One Group<\/p>\n
Photo by: Marcel van Dorst \/ EYE4images \/ NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n
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