RACING: Verstappen says new F1 car is "not much fun to drive"

MANAMA – Four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen described his new Red Bull car as “not much fun to drive” and compared it to “Formula E on steroids” during the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Thursday.

Despite completing an impressive number of laps and finishing second on Wednesday’s timesheets, Verstappen sounded far from satisfied with the new car.

“Not a lot of fun, to be honest,” said the Dutch driver. “It’s not very Formula One-like. 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 has a massive effect on the energy side of things. For me, that’s just not Formula One. Maybe it’s better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy, efficiency, and management.”

This season marks a new engine era in Formula One, along with major changes to aerodynamics and chassis design, including increased reliance on electrical components.

After McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris topped the opening day, it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who led the timesheets on Thursday. Norris was second, 0.511 seconds off the pace, followed by Haas’ Ollie Bearman in third and Mercedes’ George Russell in fourth.

Leclerc, Norris, and Bearman logged the most laps of the day, completing 139, 149, and 130 respectively. Verstappen’s new teammate, Isack Hadjar, finished fifth after experiencing technical issues in the morning session.

The opening Bahrain test concludes Friday, with three more days scheduled next week. The 2026 Formula One season is set to begin in Australia on March 8.

-Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters