“Want proper F1 on steroids”: Max Verstappen urges FIA changes; Oliver Bearman says racing at Australian GP felt like Formula E

F1 champion Lando Norris was not the only one to be displeased after missing out on the podium at the Australian Grand Prix after returning to the track as the reigning champion. Max Verstappen, who followed Norris in sixth place, seemed to struggle to find the right words in order not to offend the FIA or others while expressing his displeasure with the new F1 hybrid cars. Oliver Bearman also echoed similar thoughts while comparing it to Formula E.

Max Verstappen wants better racing from new F1 cars

Max Verstappen finished sixth in the Australian Grand Prix final, a day after he suffered a crash in qualifying. The Red Bull Racing driver is now hoping the FIA will consider the issues being faced on track. Meanwhile, his new teammate Isack Hadjar’s race ended in a crash despite him starting from the third spot on the grid.

As quoted by RacingNews365, the Red Bull driver said after Sunday’s race, “I want it to be better than this, right? Let’s see what we can do. I love racing, but we can only take so much, right? I think they are willing to listen, FIA and F1. I just hope, of course, that there is some action.”
“I mean it’s not that I’m the only one saying it. I think a lot of people are saying it, drivers and fans. We just want the best for the sport. It’s not like we are critical just to be critical. We are critical for a reason. We want it to be F1, proper F1 on steroids. Today, of course, that was again not the case,” he added.

Still hoping for things to get better, Verstappen wrote on Instagram: “Bit of a rough weekend, but gave it my best. Still proud of where we are as a team @redbullracing, we keep pushing.”

Oliver Bearman was experimenting with buttons during the race, felt he was in F1 and others were in F2

Haas driver Oliver Bearman said it felt like he was playing a video game even though he managed to finish in seventh position.
“I don’t really know what was happening. I was just like, I guess I’ll try this boost button, see how it works. I was just flying past everyone on the straight, so it was quite funny,” he told Motorsportweek.com.

“It was like I was in F1 and everyone else was in F2. But then of course you have to recharge the battery again, because otherwise you’re dead on the next straight. So it’s a lot of stuff to think about, which is complicated, but the fact that I finished P7 means that I’m happy, even if the car has not been the most fun to drive this weekend,” he added.

“That’s not racing, that’s Formula E,” the Haas driver said after explaining how he was struggling with battery management, echoing what Verstappen had expressed earlier.

Bearman posted on Instagram after the race, where he also congratulated F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad for claiming his first points in his debut race. Lindblad finished in eighth position.

“Got the max we could out of that one in the end after a tricky start! Perfect way to begin the season. Proud of this team and all their work. And mega job @arvid.lindblad,” Bearman wrote.

On the other hand, Australian Grand Prix winner George Russell has slammed the criticism coming from several drivers, claiming they were being “selfish” and were calling it a rubbish race when he had a wonderful one.

Also read: George Russell hits back after Lando Norris warns new F1 rules could cause major crash: “If he was winning…”