Formula 1’s president invoked Max Verstappen by name as he pushed back against a stream of complaints that has followed the sport around the calendar. Speaking earlier this month, Domenicali insisted the 2026 reset is doing what it was designed to do, even as his highest-profile driver publicly calls the racing “anti-racing”.

“You know me, we are not here to put tape on the mouth of anyone. The beauty of our sport is that everyone can have an opinion, but the opinion is an opinion,” Domenicali told reporters in comments carried by Sky Sports.

“Max is an incredible driver. F1 is big enough for him to be part of us, but of course he will decide his future, the way that he prefers to do. The sport will look ahead but my opinion is that Max will stay with us.”

The Spa flashpoint

The trigger for the current row was the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. In qualifying at Spa, drivers reported losing up to 50km/h through Blanchimont as their batteries ran dry on the circuit’s long straights, and both Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton went public.

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Verstappen was blunt about the sensation behind the wheel of a car reduced to combustion-only power in parts of the middle sector. He said drivers were left with “less or more or less what a Formula 3 car has, but with F1 downforce”, adding that it was “not very exciting to drive”.

Hamilton, whose Ferrari sits second in the standings, was sharper still, saying the cars felt great through the corners and awful on the straights.

“Whoever it is, they’ve still got their jobs,” he added with a sarcastic chuckle.

The FIA blames the manufacturers

The governing body has not simply absorbed the criticism. Single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has publicly pointed the finger at the engine manufacturers, saying the FIA tried to soften the rules before the season and was blocked.

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“We did anticipate a lot of these things they have complained about in the two years before the launch of the season, and we did try to make some adjustments,” Tombazis said, explaining that four of the five power unit manufacturers had to sign off on any change and refused.

Antonelli leads Verstappen by 110 points

After 11 rounds, the drivers’ table is led by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli on 219 points, ahead of Hamilton on 169 and George Russell on 160. Verstappen, the defending four-time champion, is sixth on 109. Lando Norris sits fifth on 128.

The 2027 climbdown is already agreed

The World Motor Sport Council has ratified a shift in the power split from the current 50-50 electric-combustion balance to 58-42 in 2027 and 60-40 in 2028, pushing more of the grunt back into the internal combustion engine.

The next chance for Verstappen to test the current car in anger comes at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on 21-23 August, the circuit’s final race before it drops off the 2027 calendar.

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