Red Bull’s Max Verstappen jokes he swapped his simulator for Mario Kart, criticising the new generation of Formula One cars for being too video game-like.
FOUR-time world champion Max Verstappen has joked he is practising with Mario Kart because it feels more realistic than driving the current generation of Formula One cars.
The Red Bull driver expressed a distinct lack of enjoyment behind the wheel of the new machines, which feature complex battery management and energy harvesting with a 50-50 power split between conventional and electrical sources.
He specifically likened the cars’ array of driver-activated features, including straight-line mode, active aerodynamics, and overtake and boost buttons, to something from a video game.
“I swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch,” Verstappen quipped.
“I’m practising with Mario Kart, actually, finding the mushrooms is going quite well, the blue shells are a bit more difficult.”
His comments come after a challenging season opener in Australia, where he crashed in qualifying and was forced to fight from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.
The Dutchman confirmed his desire for more fun in racing, pointing to his upcoming participation in the Nurburgring 24-hour race and hopes to compete at Spa and Le Mans in future years.
“I wish I had a bit more fun for sure,” he said of his current Formula One experience.
“It’s a bit conflicted because I don’t really enjoy to drive the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and from the engine department as well.”
Despite his criticisms, Verstappen expressed optimism that the situation would improve as the new technical regulations are refined.
“I hope, of course, that it gets better,” he stated.
“I’ve had discussions with F1 and the FIA and I think we are working towards something that will improve everything.”
