Verstappen Says 2026 F1 Rules Turn Spa Into 'Different Spa'
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 19, 2026
Verstappen questions 2026
Max Verstappen renewed his criticism of Formula 1’s 2026 cars after qualifying second at Spa-Francorchamps, saying the new regulations have already changed the feel of one of the calendar’s fastest tracks. He finished 0.317 seconds behind pole sitter Kimi Antonelli, and a late tow from Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar helped him on his final Q3 lap. Even with that boost, Verstappen said the circuit felt altered in a way that stripped away some of the challenge. He called Spa “a different Spa,” said the lap was “not very exciting to drive” and compared the car’s feel there to a Formula 3 machine with F1 downforce. The Dutch driver said he was trying to adapt ahead of Sunday’s race, but he made clear the 2026 package has already changed how he sees the venue. The comments continued a theme he has raised before, one that centers on how the new cars behave on a track built around speed, flow and commitment through the middle sector.
Spa feels different
Verstappen pointed to Spa’s high-speed middle sector as the clearest example of the new rules changing the sport’s character. He said Sector 2 is running almost entirely on the engine, with about 450 to 500 horsepower, and that the changed balance between combustion power and electric power is what makes the cars behave so differently. That shift, in his view, has turned parts of the lap into something closer to an engine test than a natural flow corner sequence. Fernando Alonso had already raised the same issue at Spa, and several other drivers echoed the same general complaint. Antonelli and Lando Norris said Pouhon is no longer much of a corner under the new regulations. Carlos Sainz said the new rules have reduced the enjoyment of qualifying at Spa and that drivers have “lost quite a bit with these cars around Spa.” Oscar Piastri said Pouhon no longer felt like a corner and described the power delivery as making Spa a “pretty different” circuit from previous years. The shared message was clear. The cars still attack the lap at speed, but the way they deliver that speed changes the rhythm of the track and the way drivers have to read each corner.
Drivers eye the fix
The issue is not built to stay frozen in place. The engine power split is scheduled to be adjusted in two steps, with the long-term target set to move toward a 60-40 balance by 2028. That timeline gives the sport room to keep refining the package, but it also leaves drivers racing through a transition that already has them measuring corners by how much they have changed. Verstappen made that frustration plain when he said he did not want to complain too much again and joked that “probably someone will shoot me outside the door” if he kept criticizing the cars. The line added some color to a serious point, which is that drivers are already judging the new formula against the old one and finding fewer of the qualities that made Spa unique. The comments from Verstappen, Alonso, Antonelli, Norris, Sainz and Piastri all point in the same direction. The circuit still rewards precision and bravery, but the new regulations have changed how that reward arrives. Verstappen’s final message was less about a single qualifying lap and more about a wider adjustment that is now under way. He has to adapt for Sunday, and Formula 1 has to decide how much of Spa’s identity it wants the next rules set to keep.
