FIA figurehead Nikolas Tombazis has responded to Max Verstappen’s critical remarks. The Dutchman called the new 2026 cars ‘unworthy of Formula 1’ during the Bahrain test days, even comparing the driving to the Formula E category. While Tombazis is cautious in his statements, he says the FIA could make adjustments: ‘We are open to that’.
The first test kilometres have been completed in the 2026 cars, but not all drivers were impressed by the new machinery. Max Verstappen even labelled driving them ‘Formula E on steroids’, while Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso were also not fans. The FIA is, however, open to implementing small regulatory changes to the energy management rules.
Nikolas Tombazis – technical director at the FIA – was presented with Verstappen’s remarks. “Well, I think we must always remember that there are many stakeholders involved in this sport,” Tombazis told media in Bahrain. “The drivers are, of course, extremely important. They are the stars, but we mustn’t forget that this sport attracts major car manufacturers such as Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari and Cadillac.”
‘Open to adjustments’
According to Tombazis, criticism of the new cars has certainly eased compared with earlier in 2025, when teams were only able to test the 2026 cars on simulators. “I think the reactions in Barcelona and Bahrain are definitely much better than the earlier feedback from people in the simulator, but there are also reactions like Max’s,” the boss said, referring to the world champion. “I think there are a number of ways the sport can act to adjust the rules. Clearly that would need approval through the governance process — we can’t just say tomorrow ‘we change this and that’, there is a process.”
The FIA is open to small adjustments. “We’ve put a huge amount of work into determining how electrical energy is used, and I believe we’ve done roughly 90% of the work to arrive at a reasonable result,” Tombazis continued. “There may still be a few tweaks needed now that we’ve learned more about the cars, and we’re completely open to that.”
