Max Verstappen and Lando Norris' contrasting opinions on the new cars bring important topics of conversation to light.

As the first test in Bahrain has come to an end, the drivers may have a better grasp over their new cars and how they drive. The drivers have collectively driven hundreds of laps now and have learnt a little bit more on how to adapt to the new car designs. The developments however have not all been positive with certain drivers voicing concerns that these new cars aren’t going to offer much ability to race.

Max Verstappen was quoted saying, “the feeling isn’t like formula 1, it feels more like a formula E on steroids. As a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out and, for now, you can’t drive flat out. What you do as a driver has a huge impact on the energy side and for me, that’s not formula 1… I don’t enjoy driving these cars”. An interesting quote from the 4x world champion who is one of the most experienced drivers on the current grid, in more than just the formula one series.

If we take a step back to look into Max Verstappen’s experience, he is a driver who goes beyond the scopes of Formula One and single seater racing. He recently became eligible to race in other racing series and has participated in GT3 endurance racing as well as the Nurburgrung Endurance series. He has been strongly involved in sim racing and is part of ‘Team Redline’, frequently taking part in iRacing events. As well as this, he owns the ‘Verstappen.com racing’ team which supports drivers in GT3 and rally cars. In a recent ‘Talking Bull’ podcast with his team he revealed that it is not uncommon for him to ‘wake up at 2 in the morning and think, ‘I need to try this’, and then I head straight to my simulator, power it up and start turning laps’. He is evidently a driver who is constantly learning and looking for new ways to innovate better racing. Those trials often reflect what can be misread as constant complaining over actually being constructive criticism on how to improve the car for him to win.

Therefore, his quotes on the new Formula one cars being closely compared to formula E don’t necessarily dictate the whole season. His opinions are expressed based on how he likes to drive and there is no sign of him giving up on the Formula One series. Especially as he went on further to say, “But I think all the good drivers will be able to adapt to it. That’s not the problem, but it’s just that the way the whole way of racing is changing”. As a driver who has a vast background of knowledge on racing and is continuously involved in building improvement, speaking negatively of the way the current cars perform doesn’t necessary translate into complaints. If anything, the sport should be open ears to the drivers experience in the cars to find innovative ways to improve the series. At the end of the day that is, or should be, what the drivers and fans want, cars that race. Nobody wants the sport to dissolve

The contrasting opinion on this however came from a quote mentioned by current world champion Lando Norris where he said, “if he wants to retire, he can retire… Formula one changes all the time. Sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes it’s not as good to drive. We get paid a stupid amount of money to drive, so you can’t really complain at the end of the day. Any driver can go and find something else to do. It’s not like he has to be here, or any driver has to be here. It’s a challenge, but it’s a good, fun challenge for the engineers, for the drivers”. Fans immediately criticized him for having the mindset of, so long as they’re paid, they should just keep quiet and drive. Lando often struggles to find the right words to say in reflecting his thoughts on subjects, and with his sarcasm often being misinterpreted for headlines. Therefore, I do not believe that he genuinely wishes Max to bid farewell to Formula One. However, his comment on being paid a lot does bring upon us an interesting argument on how drivers’ comments should be voiced and heard.

If the drivers are of the certain opinion of the sport they've worked their whole lives to be in, should they be vocal and open about it or should they be grateful they have made it into formula one and accept the rules of the games as they come?

The fact that these two quotes have stemmed from the current world Champion and a highly respected driver (both with loyal fan bases) shows just how influencial their words matter. Therefore, if they do want change to happen, they just need to speak up for the media and fans to pick up on their words. They do have the power to influence the direction of the sport. Their salary therefore, has good purpose and influence further than just winning races. More so than other drivers on the grid who do not get paid millions in comparison.

The next test will remain in Bahrain from the 18th - 20th February from 10:00 to 19:00 local track time, (11:00 to 20:00 UAE). Teams will surely have made a few tweaks here and there to accommodate to their new findings and it will be intriguing to see if the drivers will have found any positives to take into the first race of the season.