Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has hit out at Red Bull driver Max Verstappen for his complaints against the new car regulations in the Formula 1 2026 season, as the four-time world champion struggles to make an early impact. The biggest rule change requires a 50-50 power split between the internal combustion (ICE) and electrical energy.

The 28-year-old Verstappen has been one of the most impacted drivers as he was forced to retire at the Chinese Grand Prix and came sixth in the opening Australian GP.

“It’s terrible,” an angry Verstappen said after the race in Shanghai on Sunday. “If someone likes this, then you really don’t know what racing is like. Not fun at all. Playing Mario Kart. This is not racing and I would say the same if I would be winning races because I care about the racing product.”

Wolff hits out at Verstappen over car complaints

Mercedes, meanwhile, are leading the charts, winning both races and also securing the second spot in Melbourne and Shanghai. Their 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli secured his first F1 race win at the Chinese Grand Prix.

And Mercedes chief Wolff has hit out at Verstappen over his complaints, saying that Max’s reactions are more a result of his frustration and a poor Red Bull car rather than the changes in the rules. He added that new engines have also been producing entertaining races.

“Max is really, I think, in a horror show,” Wolff said. “When you look at the onboard he has in qualifying, this is just horrendous to drive.”

“From an entertainment perspective, I believe what we’ve seen between Ferrari and Mercedes was good racing, many overtakes. We were all part of Formula One when there was no overtaking. Sometimes we’re too nostalgic about the good old years, but the product is good in itself. We saw quite some racing in the midfield also and that is the positive.”

Lewis Hamilton has also agreed with his former boss Wolff, as he said that the Chinese Grand Prix was “the best racing I’ve ever experienced in Formula One”.

Hamilton and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc were involved in an intense race in Shanghai with overtaking and some exciting wheel-to-wheel driving.

For the unversed, F1 was willing to make some adjustments to the rules to address the complaints from some of the drivers, but after a successful Chinese GP, there’s no guarantee any major change would be brought in.

In any case, no change would be made before the Japanese Grand Prix, which will take place in two weeks. They could be implemented at the Miami Grand Prix in May, as
no races are taking place in April due to the war in West Asia.