Former Formula 1 team boss Guenther Steiner has suggested Max Verstappen is ‘throwing his toys out of the pram’ in regards to his frustration with the sport’s new technical regulations.
The Dutchman has been a stern and vocal detractor of the new rulebook, saying the cars for this year are like “Formula E on steroids” back in pre-season.
Since the season proper has started, the four-time World Champion has made his feelings even more obvious, after a sixth-place finish in Melbourne and a non-finish in China.
Verstappen, like many drivers, is conveying a sense of extreme discontentment with the regulations, which see drivers required to harvest energy via the battery of the new 50-50 hybrid power units.
Therefore, lap times have increased and overtaking has, by some, been deemed as synthetic and not showcasing a driver’s actual skills.
Steiner believes that, despite Red Bull exceeding expectations with its first-ever in-house power unit – built with Ford – Verstappen’s unhappiness is also stemming from a lack of results.
“Max is not happy because his car is not where he likes it to be,” he told talkSPORT.
“But we need to be fair because Red Bull did their own power unit for the first time, and it’s such an advanced technology, so it takes some time for the engineers to get used to it.
“I’m actually surprised how good the new engine manufacturers, like Red Bull Ford and Audi, are doing.
“Sometimes, as you said, Max throws the toys out of the pram quite quickly if things don’t go his way.”
Guenther Steiner defends new F1 regs, despite Max Verstappen protestations
Despite overtaking numbers being high, many have questioned the authenticity of the racing that has led to the overtakes, due to the difference in efficiency from one PU to another.
But Steiner defended the regs, and has been enjoying the racing.
“The racing was pretty good, obviously, people like Max maybe don’t like change, and he’s not used to not being in one of the best cars, so that doesn’t help his mood to like the new regulations,” he said.
“I think they are actually pretty good. They will develop over time. All the teams are just learning at the moment what is going on, because it’s an advanced technology.
“But the racing was good, and that’s the most important thing.”
There is no question that the early part of the races do indeed create some excitement as many cars are going for position, as well as the difference in success teams are enjoying with their respective cars getting off the line.
But whether the levels of criticism will be withstood remains to be seen, especially with the variety of circuits that may show them up still yet to be raced on.
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