The former Toro Rosso and Alpha Tauri Team Principal, Franz Tost, believes Max Verstappen has lost his greatest advantage under the new Formula 1 regulations.
The 2026 F1 season has seen the biggest regulation overhaul in years. Forgoing the ground-effect era, which saw Max Verstappen take three of the four world championships on offer.
While he failed to make it four out of four, he remained in contention throughout Lando Norris’ maiden title season.
However, his fate has shifted in this season. From the first races of the season, Mercedes has taken the lead in the field, with Red Bull sitting out of reach and suffering reliability issues.
Kimi Antonelli has soared into a commanding championship lead with five victories back-to-back. Antonelli has accrued 156 points in comparison to Verstappen’s 55.
The four-time champion hasn’t been shy about his disdain for the new regulations. Complaining since the opening rounds that the 50/50 split between combustion power and electricity has led to worse racing, with less focus on skill and more on the ability to manage electrical power.
Despite his complaints, Franz Tost, the ex-Alpha Tauri and Toro Rosso Team Principal, disagreed with his former driver’s judgment.
“I haven’t seen a single boring race this season,” the Austrian told Krone.
He believed that the frustration comes from drivers like Verstappen losing their biggest advantage, late braking.
“Sure, there have been a lot of discussions about the new regulations. I can also understand the frustration of the top drivers.
“Drivers like Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, or Fernando Alonso used to be able to exploit their strengths under braking.” He said.
“But if you have to lift off the throttle 10 or 20 metres before the braking point to recharge, that advantage is lost.”
A ‘positive direction’ for F1
The complaints have prompted changes for the coming years, with the drivers, the FOM, the FIA, and the PUMs coming together to implement a shift from the 50/50 split to a 60/40 split in favour of Internal Combustion Engines.
The change will take place over two seasons, with a 58/42 split in 2027, reaching the full 60/40 in 2028. Tost spoke positively about this change.
“The development is heading in a very positive direction,” declared Tost.
“There are many overtaking manoeuvres, which are exactly what the spectators want to see, in my opinion. Whether the battery is full or empty is of no concern to most fans.”
Further changes are underway to reduce the super-clipping that has characterised the 2026 season. The hope is that the changes will enable drivers to keep gaining speed on the main straights, but they likely won’t affect corner-attacking, which was prominent under the previous regulations.
Which brings into question Verstappen’s ability to fight for a championship under the new regulations.
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