Max Verstappen jokes new F1 cars ‘more like Mario Kart’

SHANGHAI – Four-time world champion Max Verstappen said on March 12 he was not having much fun driving the new era of Formula One cars, joking that he was “practising with Mario Kart” because it was more realistic than his simulator.

The Red Bull driver crashed in qualifying in the season-opener in Australia on March 7 before having to carve his way from 20th on the grid to finish a creditable sixth.

The new cars require battery management and energy harvesting with a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power.

They also have features such as straight-line mode, active aero, overtake and boost buttons, which Verstappen reckons are nearer to a video game.

“I swopped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch. I’m practising with Mario Kart, actually. Finding the mushrooms is going quite well; the blue shells are a bit more difficult,” he said.

The 28-year-old Dutchman announced on March 9 that he would be driving in the Nurburgring 24-hour race in May.

“I wish I had a bit more fun for sure,” he said of Formula One at the moment.

“I mean, I get to race the Nordschleife (Nurburgring) and I hope in the coming years I can do Spa and hopefully Le Mans. So I’m combining stuff and I’m also doing other stuff that is a lot of fun.

“It’s a bit conflicted because I don’t really enjoy to drive the (F1) car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and from the engine department as well.”

He did express optimism that things would improve as the new rules and regulations were adjusted and said drivers were already in discussions over changes.

“I hope, of course, that it gets better,” Verstappen added.

“I’ve had discussions with F1 and the (governing body) FIA and I think we are working towards something that will improve everything.”

Next up this weekend is the Chinese Grand Prix.

Ferrari have won nothing in Formula One since Lewis Hamilton’s Saturday sprint victory in Shanghai a year ago and this weekend’s return to the country is a chance for both to close a circle.

The acclaimed Italian team, who last won a grand prix in 2024, were Mercedes’ closest rivals in Australia on March 8, with Charles Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth behind the one-two of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

“For me, the prevailing feeling is now we have a fight on our hands with Ferrari,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after the Melbourne Park success.

Mercedes will still be the team to beat, with Russell again the hot favourite, but after the worst season of his stellar career – without even a grand prix podium in 2025 – seven-time world champion Hamilton is sounding more optimistic ahead of the second round.

He is the most successful driver in China with six wins from previous stints at McLaren and Mercedes.

But that only went so far in 2025, with the Briton winning on Saturday before both cars were disqualified on Sunday in the main race.

“Of course, we’re not as fast as Mercedes. We’ve got work to do, but we’re right in the fight,” said Hamilton after the race in Australia. “I do believe we can close the gap.”

Leclerc said that he had been positively surprised with the race pace in Melbourne but Shanghai, the first sprint weekend of the sport’s new engine and chassis revolution, represented another big challenge.

“I think it’s going to be super crucial to be straight on top of everything,” he said. “To have a sprint race so early on in a season like this will also be a huge challenge for everybody.”

The sprint format means only one hour-long Friday practice session, at a time when every lap counts for teams getting to grips with their new cars.

The Australian Grand Prix saw 120 overtakes compared to 45 a year earlier, with the lead changing hands repeatedly early on as Russell and Leclerc charged and deployed energy from the increased electrical component.

The Shanghai circuit has two long straights and Russell suggested China would be very different.

“You’ve got one big, long straight, so the majority of drivers will be using their energy on that one straight,” he said. “You don’t need to divide it up between four like... in Melbourne.”

McLaren, meanwhile, looked the third-fastest team in Australia, with champion Lando Norris in fifth, after teammate Oscar Piastri crashed before the start.
REUTERS, AFP