Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds has invited Max Verstappen to come and do a test run in the full-electric machines this coming weekend. The Dutchman’s comment that the new Formula 1 cars are turning the premier class into a kind of “Formula E on steroids” reached the CEO in Jeddah as well. The electric series has races scheduled there this weekend. Dodds reveals he immediately sent the Dutchman a message: “If you fancy coming over, I’ll pick you up.”
Although Max Verstappen was not in the RB22 on Thursday in Bahrain, the Dutch world champion was very much in the spotlight. During a media session he made clear he’s not a big fan of the 2026 cars. “I always adapt as a driver, but we as drivers are now only busy saving and managing,” he explained to the journalists present in Bahrain. “It makes no sense. In certain corners you now have to go extremely slowly to recover energy. Yes sorry, but that belongs in Formula E. Formula 1 should be about driving as fast as possible, and we’re not doing that now. It’s a kind of Formula E on steroids.”
Verstappen’s remarks even reached Jeff Dodds, the CEO of the Formula E championship. The Brit couldn’t resist sending the driver a cheeky message. “I sent Max a message yesterday along the lines of: ‘You’re in Bahrain, I’m in Jeddah; if you feel like coming here, I’ll come and pick you up.’ So I was a bit naughty when I sent him that,” Dodds told the media. This weekend the electric series has two races scheduled in Jeddah, just 1,500 kilometres from the Formula 1 test days in Bahrain.
Dodds understands Verstappen’s remarks
Still, the Brit gets Verstappen’s comparison between the new F1 cars and Formula E. “What he said doesn’t surprise me. If I sum up Max’s comments, he’s basically saying he feels compromised in the car,” Dodds said. “He probably feels it’s no longer about planting the throttle and going flat-out. He thinks it’s a different style of racing because compromises have been made in the car’s technologies. He doesn’t like that very much. For now. Maybe he’ll learn to enjoy it — time will tell.”
Even though Verstappen’s comments didn’t come across as wholly positive about Formula E, Dodds is quietly pleased with the Dutchman’s comparison. “A lot of the Formula E drivers and team principals have reached out to me. They all say this is a great opportunity for us,” the CEO explained. “Many people tell me it’s fantastic that he even refers to Formula E. It raises awareness. It’s also a good chance to show people what we stand for and where we’re going. So if more people, because of his remarks, think, ‘oh, I’ll go and watch Formula E,’ then that’s brilliant.”
