SHANGHAI — Max Verstappen’s blunt assessment: “It’s a jungle” out there right now in Formula 1.
The four-time champion on the international open-wheel circuit isn’t a fan of F1’s new technical regulations for 2026, despite working his way up from No. 20 on the starting grid to place sixth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last weekend.
Verstappen predicted his Red Bull probably couldn’t go any higher than fifth place this weekend in the Chinese Grand Prix — even if he starts much closer to the front in Sunday’s race in Shanghai — because of the big gap between Mercedes and Ferrari and all the other teams.
“Honestly, it’s such a jungle out there at the moment,” Verstappen said Thursday at the driver news conferences ahead of the Chinese GP. “I mean, I would hope that it gets a bit closer … but it’s clear that at the moment we cannot fight with those cars.”
It’s not the first time Verstappen has taken a swipe at the sport’s new regulations, which he thinks are anti-fun, anti-racing and could potentially be dangerous.