Max Verstappen has opened up about how the new generation of Formula 1 cars has shifted his approach to some of his favorite tracks. He mentioned that he’s currently “mentally readjusting” to tackle the new challenges. After qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, the four-time world champion even joked that someone might “shoot” him if he continued to voice his criticisms about the 2026 engine regulations. Verstappen has been quite vocal against the new power unit rules, which put a much stronger focus on electric energy. With the 2026 regulations, almost half of the car’s peak power will come from the battery, making energy management crucial for every lap on those high-speed circuits.
The impact was clear at Spa. Verstappen was 35 km/h slower through the fast Pouhon corner than he was in qualifying a year ago and finished a lap that was 3.775 seconds slower overall. Despite securing second on the grid, he said, “It’s not only Pouhon, it’s the whole track. But, yep, I mentally readjust to it. For most of sector two [at Spa] you run just on the engine. 450 or 500 bhp, something like that? So you can imagine, of course, that is not very exciting to drive. But also I don’t want to sit here and complain again, because probably someone is going to shoot me outside the door.”
Red Bull Set to Promote Tom Hart as Max Verstappen’s Race Engineer
Away from the racetrack, Red Bull is gearing up for a significant shift in Verstappen’s garage. Tom Hart is set to step in as the Dutch driver’s new race engineer after Red Bull reportedly struck a deal to release him from a prior commitment to join Williams. Hart has been Verstappen’s performance engineer since January 2020 and has played a key role in helping the Dutchman clinch four consecutive Formula 1 world titles. This change comes as current race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase prepares to transition to a senior role at McLaren in 2028. While the exact timing of the handover is still up in the air, Lambiase is expected to gradually ease out of his race engineering duties while maintaining his broader responsibilities within the team. It’s understood that Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies and Williams boss James Vowles have come to an agreement that paves the way for Hart’s promotion. This move follows a common trend in Formula 1, where performance engineers often take on race engineer roles. A similar situation occurred when Marcus Dudley transitioned from being Lewis Hamilton’s performance engineer at Mercedes to George Russell’s race engineer, after stepping in during Hamilton’s victory at the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix.
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On another note, Verstappen isn’t entirely sold on the 2026 regulations. He pointed out that once the battery depletes, the cars are left relying solely on the V6 engine, which results in power levels akin to a Formula 3 car, even though they still carry the downforce of a Formula 1 vehicle. While he admitted that this experience isn’t his favorite, Verstappen stated that he will keep adapting and focus on squeezing the best possible results from the current setup.
