F1 has released its all-new regulations for the 2026 season, and four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen is not impressed.

Seeing his reaction, veteran NASCAR driver and co-owner of RFK Racing, Brad Keselowski, didn’t miss out on the opportunity to pitch Verstappen. 

Brad Keselowski is ready for Verstappen to join NASCAR

“We have a @FordRacing cup car ready to go. Feel free to DM when you’re ready, Max,” Keselowski posted on X on February 13. 

According to the new regulations, the internal combustion engine and electric motors will be in a 50/50 split, with battery power ranging from 1to 30 kW to 350 kW. This will lead to heavy energy management. There might be some instances where drivers might have to lift and coast during qualifying.

“To drive, not a lot of fun to be honest,” Max Verstappen said during an interview with reporters, including planetF1.

“Probably people will not be happy with me saying this. But I am outspoken and why am I not allowed to say what I think of my race car?” he added.

This comes after the second pre-season test that took place in Bahrain this week, where world champion Lewis Hamilton was also present. Hamilton also expressed his dissatisfaction a day earlier during the pre-test.

"It’s so complex. It’s ridiculously complex,” he said. “I sat in a meeting the other day and they’re taking us through it and it’s like you need a degree to fully understand it all," added Hamilton.

This isn’t the first time someone has wanted Verstappen to drive in NASCAR.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. has also expressed his desire for Verstappen to try NASCAR once.

“I mean, I would love to see Max Verstappen give it a try.” Earnhardt Jr. told Hard Rock Bet in January. However, not every driver agrees with Verstappen.

Lando Norris is in favour of the 2026 cars 

Norris sharply countered Verstappen’s Bahrain test complaints, calling the 2026 F1 cars really great to ride. 

"A lot of fun, I really enjoyed it. So, yeah, if he wants to retire, he can retire! Formula 1 changes all the time," Norris said after the test.

"Sometimes it's a bit better to drive, sometimes it's not as good to drive, but we get paid a stupid amount of money to drive, so he can't really complain at the end of the day," he added.

F1 is aiming for reforms and sustainability, while drivers like Verstappen may not be completely on board, the sport continues to evolve.

As the season approaches, Verstappen has already confirmed he'll stick with Red Bull. "The proportion of the car looks good, that’s not the problem. It’s just everything else that is a bit anti-racing,” he added. How that later part affects his season remains to be seen.

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Written by

Kaamna Dwivedi

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi