Max Verstappen starts from the front row in the Belgian Grand Prix. But the Formula 1 star is far from happy with how the new cars feel on his favourite track. For large parts of a qualifying lap at Spa, the cars are driven solely on the combustion engine. “It’s maybe 450, 500 horsepower. About what a Formula 3 car has,” says Verstappen.
Formula 1 entered a new era ahead of the 2026 season. The new cars get about half their power from a powerful electric motor, but the battery doesn’t last a full lap. On long tracks like Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, the energy runs out, and then only the combustion engine remains.
It’s most noticeable in the classic middle sector through the Ardennes forest, Verstappen explained after Saturday’s qualifying.
“For most of sector two you’re just running on the engine. What is it, 450, 500 horsepower? That’s about what a Formula 3 car has, just with Formula 1 downforce. So you can imagine it’s not particularly fun to drive,” he says.
“Someone will probably shoot me out the door”
Verstappen has criticised the new regulations several times during the season, and he’s aware the complaints are starting to become a running story. This time he chose to joke it off.
“Honestly, I don’t want to sit here and moan again, because then someone will probably shoot me out the door,” he says with a smile, and continues:
“I’ve mentally adjusted and I’m trying to make the best of it, even if it’s obviously not what I love about Formula 1. But I can also sit at home and not drive anything at all, and that gets you nowhere. So I’m doing my best.”
A concrete example is Pouhon, the fast left-hander that has long been one of the track’s big challenges. This year it’s no longer a test, according to Verstappen.
“It’s not about a single corner. It’s the whole track. It’s a different Spa, but I’m adjusting mentally,” he says.
Starts alongside Antonelli after a tow
Despite his dissatisfaction with the cars, Saturday ended with a strong result. Verstappen qualified second behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and starts Sunday’s race from the front row.
He gives a large part of the credit to team-mate Isack Hadjar, who sacrificed his own qualifying to give Verstappen a tow on the straights.
“Isack did a really good job giving me a tow in the final sector. That’s why we’re standing here. Otherwise it could easily have been sixth place,” says Verstappen.
As for Sunday’s race, he’s more cautious. The gap to Antonelli was over three tenths, despite the tow.
“I don’t really expect to fight with them. It’ll be more about watching the mirrors and running my own race, and then we’ll see where we end up,” he says.
The Belgian Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 3:00 PM.
