Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen.
Image: AFP
The old adage that "its windy at the top" could not be more true for the drama Max Verstappen is caught up with F1 pundits and opposing teams.
Verstappen seems to be taking the heat from F1 pundits over his harsh criticism of the 2026 regulations.
While he is the most prominent driver raising concerns, primarily that it's no longer “pure racing” because cars can’t go flat out, the noise around him is growing louder by the race weekend.
Former Ferrari driver Juan Pablo Montoya, however, has urged the four-time champion to “shut up” or simply walk away.
Montoya was right to point out that Verstappen isn’t bigger than the sport, but in doing so, he may have missed the very heart of the issue what Formula 1 has quietly become in 2026.
Because beneath the frustration in Verstappen’s voice lies a reality many have been reluctant to admit.
No more flat-out racing. No more delicate tyre management chess matches. No more edge-of-the-seat strategy gambles unfolding over 50 laps. Most importantly, no more high RPM engine notes. Instead, the sport has drifted into something far more calculated — dictated not by instinct, but by energy.
“It feels like you can’t push anymore,” Verstappen said recently. “It’s not really racing. You’re just managing everything.”
That sentiment, blunt as it is, cuts deep. Formula 1 has always been about limits, drivers dancing on the edge of control, engineers flirting with mechanical failure, teams gambling everything on split-second decisions. It's precisely those elements that forged champions like Aryton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
But now, that edge feels dulled. Races have become exercises in restraint. Drivers lift and coast not by choice, but by necessity. Overtakes are no longer crafted through bravery under braking, but through calculated bursts of battery deployment.
The art of racing wheel-to-wheel is being replaced by algorithms and energy targets.
Montoya’s counterargument is simple, and not entirely wrong.
“If you don’t like it, leave. Nobody is bigger than Formula 1," the former Ferrari man said.
It’s a statement rooted in the sport’s long history, champions come and go, eras rise and fall, but the machine of Formula One keeps changing.
Yet, it also sidesteps a critical truth: when the best driver on the grid starts questioning the very essence of the sport, it’s worth listening.
Because while it may just frustration over a slower car or a bad weekend. It’s something deeper. It’s a disconnect because other drivers have mentioned it too, including McLaren drivers.
Lest we not forget that Verstappen is in a peculiar position compared to other drivers, as he has sway over the direction his team takes in the sport. Other drivers may have been trained to be silent in front of the media, to uphold the direction that the FIA is pushing towards.
When has Verstappen ever done that? The four-time champion isn’t just fighting the car, he’s fighting a philosophy. One that prioritises efficiency over aggression and business over everything else.
And while that may align with the sports future vision, it risks stripping away the very chaos that made it compelling for fans to support.
So yes, Montoya is right, Verstappen isn’t bigger than the sport. But right now, he might be the clearest voice pointing out its flaws.
Jehran Naidoo is sports reporter for Independent Media and social media coordinator of the our YouTube channel The Clutch.