Max Verstappen has been given an open invitation to test Formula E machinery following his recent comparison between the series’ all-electric cars and F1’s new generation.
Verstappen labelled the new F1 cars being tested in Bahrain this week as “Formula E on steroids.”
A complete overhaul of the engine rules has introduced a near 50-50 split between combustion and battery power, meaning there will be added emphasis on managing electrical power, recharging batteries under braking in corners and the tactical deployment of different power modes through a grand prix.
Verstappen only needed a handful of days in the new car to decide he is not a fan, adding during Wednesday’s remarkable media session that the new F1 cars are “anti-racing”.
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds, currently in Saudi Arabia with the championship, text Verstappen after reading the comments to invite him to test its new Generation 4 car. “My slightly tongue-in-cheek message from last night was, well, one, you’re in Bahrain, I’m in Jeddah,” Dodds told ESPN. “It’s a quick flight. I’ll go and get him if he wants.
“Open invitation. Come and drive the car. For the Gen 4 car, come and have a go and see what you think. We’ve had a lot of F1 drivers ask us about driving the Gen 4 car. And I’d love Max to just give us an honest point of view on it, because four-time world champion, you have to respect Max’s view on anything relating to motorsport.”
Formula E’s Gen 4 car is its new all-electric single-seater set to debut in the 2026-27 season, packing roughly 600 kW (over 800 horsepower) with permanent all-wheel drive, enhanced aerodynamics and regen tech, designed to be the series’ fastest, most efficient and most F1-competitive machine yet.
Dodds added: “Gen 4 is much faster than Gen 3 and much more powerful than Gen 3, probably 10 seconds a lap faster than a Gen 3 car. And when Gen 5 comes, which will hopefully include solid-state batteries and more power and maybe slick tyres and all this other stuff, the car will keep getting faster.
“We’re at a point in the technology arc where the cars are just going to get better and better. I would argue maybe that’s what Max would love. We already accelerate 30% faster than his Formula 1 car.
“And when we’re able to go full send for 60 minutes in a full electric car, he might not like the sound, but I think he’d love the experience of driving it. Whereas I think the question on the Formula 1 side and the question maybe for Max is, if they add more electric power, they’re going to get slower and slower because you can’t just keep adding technology and weight and battery weight and not take something away. So if they keep adding more electric power, the cars will get slower.
“So I’m not sure they’ll look to do that. But maybe what he’s realising and thinking about is where is this going? What does this become?”
Lewis Hamilton was also critical of the new generation this week, saying the new rules have produced something so complicated fans will need a university degree to understand all the new elements.
– Max Verstappen accuses Toto Wolff of F1 ‘diversion tactics’
– Verstappen slams new ‘anti-racing’ F1 cars: ‘Formula E on steroids’
– Norris on Verstappen complaints: ‘He can retire’ if he wants
Dodds said it is natural for F1’s drivers to be concerned about the direction the pinnacle of motorsport is going.
“I was maybe surprised that he used Formula E as a reference point, but I wasn’t surprised by what he said because I think Max and Lewis and these guys have been quite open in their concern for what happens when you’re effectively compromising the technology, keeping combustion technology, adding powertrain technology and not choosing a pathway.
“I think I wasn’t surprised because we all know what Max loves to do, which is go full send, full throttle, everything on the edge, which is why he loves racing GT3 cars at the Nürburgring and why he’s loved the previous generation of Formula One. So I wasn’t surprised that with this new era where the car’s a bit heavier, it’s a bit slower, there’s more energy management, I’m not surprised to hear Max say, I’m not enjoying this as much.
“In fact, I’d have been really surprised if he’d have come out and said, ‘I love this, it’s much better than what we had”.”
