Jos Verstappen reveals extreme ‘switch off’ reaction to F1 in 2026

Jos Verstappen says he is “switching off the TV” when watching Formula 1, given the impact of the new regulations this season.

New engine and chassis regulations, featuring a power unit which has a nearly 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, have divided opinion from drivers and fans alike after the first three rounds of the 2026 campaign.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, Jos’s son, has been particularly vociferous in his criticism, describing the new cars as “anti-racing” and “like Formula E on steroids.” After the last race in Japan, Verstappen said he was considering retiring from the sport at the end of the season.

Verstappen will also lose his Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase before 2028, after the announcement a fortnight ago that he will join McLaren. More pertinently, Verstappen has also been racing enthusiastically in GT3 cars at the Nurburgring, ahead of next month’s 24-hour endurance event at the same circuit.

Speaking about the new regulations and his son’s plans, Verstappen Snr told Racexpress: “It’s madness to say that GT3 is a better race than Formula 1. It used to be the other way round.

“All those GT3 lads were desperate to get a taste of what it’s like in Formula 1, but these days that’s hard to come by.

“As a driver, I find it [2026 rules] less enjoyable too. Every now and then,I’m watching and I switch the TV off because I’m less interested. It’s not the Formula 1 that Formula 1 stands for.

“The driver has to rely heavily on the car and can no longer make a difference as a driver. I think that’s a shame in Formula 1. Look, you have to brake late, but you can’t brake too late either. Yet in fast corners, you really need to be able to make a difference, like in the first sector in Japan.

“You just can’t do that with this car and certainly not with that battery that you have to keep recharging.”