Today at 11:05
Max Verstappen says he is "open-minded" about F1's huge regulation
reset for 2026, and is not spending much time thinking about it.
For 2026, F1 cars are set to feature the biggest-ever change from
season to season, with all-new chassis and power unit rules set to
shake up the grid. Such is the scale of the change, with the
introduction of active aerodynamics and increased electrical power
from the engines being two examples of new rules, the chances of
the F1 field being scattered and a new pecking order being
established are extremely high. For Verstappen and Red Bull, the
new package creates a chance to re-establish itself as the
benchmark in F1 having been dethroned in the late ground effects
era by McLaren, should he even remain with the team. There has been
much speculation that Verstappen could defect to Mercedes for 2026,
as the Dutchman insisted that whatever team he is with next season
"will figure out" the huge changes. "I'm in the middle. Maybe
it'll be good, maybe it'll be bad – we'll see," Verstappen mused to
media, including RacingNews365. "I'm very open-minded, honestly. I
don't even think about it too much – I'm just enjoying the moment.
"When I sit in the car next year, we'll figure it out. I'm not
making the rules anyway. "Even if I have my concerns, it's not
going to change anything. So I'll just jump in and drive it, and
then we'll, along the way, get better at it, understand it better,
like any regulation in the past. "You keep optimising, keep
improving, and then just go from there, really."
