Verstappen, whose team have built their own engine for the first time this season, said: “The right word is management. But on the other hand, I also know how much work has been going on in the background. Also from the engine side, for the guys. So it’s not always the nicest thing to say.
“But I also want to be realistic. As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.
“As a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There’s a lot going on.
“A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things.
“For me, that’s just not Formula 1. Maybe it’s better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy efficiency and management. That’s what they stand for. Driving-wise, it’s not so fun.”
He added: “All the good drivers will be able to adapt to it. That’s not the problem, but it’s just the whole way of racing is changing, and I would say less pure.
“I just want normal driving, just how it should be, without having to, ‘oh, if I brake a bit longer or less or more, or one gear up or down’, you know, stuff like that, that it so heavily impacts the performance on the straights.”
The all-electric Formula E series has become known for featuring heavy energy management to ensure cars can get to the end of the races without running out of charge.
F1 is not in the same situation, as the battery is recharged into every corner, but Verstappen’s point is that a lack of energy to run flat out all the time is taking the sport away from its traditional form of driving.
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