Max Verstappen has joked that he has turned to ‘Mario Kart’ for Formula 1 practice because of the much-maligned new cars, but insists he does not “want to leave” the sport despite his displeasure.
Verstappen, the four-time world champion, has been the leading critic of the 2026 cars, which place a large focus on battery management and led to him calling F1 “anti-racing” and like “Formula E on steroids” earlier this year.
During the opening Australian GP, Charles Leclerc said during his battle with George Russell that it was “like the mushroom in Mario Kart” — which provide the racer with a burst of acceleration. Verstappen then brought up the game in Thursday’s news conference in Shanghai when asked if drivers using the simulator have a bigger advantage than in the past.
“I found a cheaper solution, I swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch,” Verstappen said. “I’m practicing with Mario Kart, actually. Finding the mushrooms is going quite well, the blue shells is a bit more difficult.
“I’m working on it. The rocket is still not there, it’s coming!”
Verstappen, whose Red Bull contract expires in 2028, has frequently cast doubt on his future in F1 — and before the season-opener said the new cars aren’t “helping” him stay in the sport long-term.
But after F1 boss Stefano Domenicali said he was confident Verstappen would not leave, the Dutchman confirmed that was not in his plans.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t want to leave really,” Verstappen, 28, said.
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“I wish I had a bit more fun for sure, but I’m also doing other stuff that is a lot of fun. I mean, I get to race the Nordschleife. Hope in the coming years I can do Spa, hopefully Le Mans. So, I’m combining stuff to find other stuff that I find really fun as well. So I have a lot of distractions at the same time. Positive distractions I would call it.
“But at the same time, it’s a bit conflicting because I don’t really enjoy driving the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and from the engine department as well. Yeah, it’s almost like a bit of a mind … I can’t swear!”
Verstappen then revealed he had discussion with F1’s bosses about tweaks to the regulations.
“I don’t want to leave, but I also hope of course that it gets better,” he added. “And I know, I mean, I’ve had discussions with FOM and FIA
“I definitely hope not for the next few years, but I hope already for next year we can already make a decent improvement. But there are a few options that we are discussing.”
