Max Verstappen Warns Silverstone Will Be “Very Different” Under 2026 F1 Rules

• Max Verstappen says Formula 1’s 2026 cars will feel completely different at Silverstone, joking that drivers “barely have battery” after experiencing the circuit in Red Bull’s simulator.
• Silverstone’s high-speed layout is expected to expose the limitations of the new hybrid power units, with few heavy braking zones available to regenerate electrical energy.
• The challenge will be compounded by the British Grand Prix’s Sprint format, giving teams just one practice session to optimise their energy management before competitive running begins.

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Max Verstappen was left laughing after completing simulator preparations for the upcoming British Grand Prix, claiming that around a lap of Silverstone, “you barely have battery.”

Formula 1’s new-for-2026 power units have come under heavy scrutiny for the amount of electrical energy management required, with the four-time world champion among their strongest critics. The energy demands of the 5.9km Silverstone Circuit appear set to present another major challenge.

The controversial 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical power has regularly left drivers running out of battery at high-speed circuits such as Suzuka and Albert Park, where there are few heavy braking zones to regenerate energy.

Silverstone, with its succession of high-speed sweeping corners, presents a similar challenge. Even with the FIA reducing the qualifying recharge limit to 7MJ in an effort to minimise super-clipping, drivers are still unlikely to be able to run flat out around the iconic circuit.

Speaking after the Austrian Grand Prix, where he secured his best result of the season with second place, Verstappen admitted he “started laughing” after experiencing Red Bull’s Silverstone simulation.

“Silverstone, I love the track, but I did a few laps on the simulator and I just started laughing,” Verstappen said of what could prove to be the most demanding circuit yet for the energy-limited power units.

“It felt like a different track, to be honest. You barely have battery around the lap.

“It’s just constantly flat [on the throttle]. So yes, it’s going to feel very different compared to what we are used to around Silverstone, because of the layout of the track.

“Here [in Austria] you have long straights and big braking zones, so you can charge the battery. There you have long straights but in a fast corner, for example, so you can’t really charge the batteries, and then the next straight you don’t have a lot [of electrical energy] to spend.

“It’s going to be a tough one.”

In recent years, Silverstone has consistently produced some of Formula 1’s best racing, even during the ground-effect era. However, concerns remain that the 2026 cars could be forced to lift well before iconic corners such as Copse, Stowe, and the Maggots-Becketts complex because of battery limitations.

The British Grand Prix will also host a Sprint weekend, leaving teams with just a single practice session on Friday before Sprint Qualifying, the 100km Sprint race, and Sunday’s Grand Prix.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade. Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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