Formula 1 returns to action this weekend for the Miami Grand Prix, where the latest regulation changes will be implemented for the first time, but Max Verstappen is still not happy with the situation.

Following an uproar from fans and drivers, Formula One Management and the FIA responded with changes to the 2026 regulations, which were more like adding plaster as they were limited to tweaks to harvesting, deployment, and super clipping figures both for qualifying and racing.

In Miami, we will see for the first time the result of these changes with FP1 extended to 90 minutes for teams and drivers to apply the changes and get used to them, especially as the weekend runs under the Sprint format.

Speaking to the media in Miami on Thursday, Verstappen commented on the rule changes saying: “With the changes that are made, I think it's more like a tickle.

It is a political sport

“Because at the end of the day, F1 is a very complex and political sport. I think everyone has tried their best to at least do something, but of course it won't change the world.

“[This] is not what we need yet to really make it flat out,” the Dutchman added when addressing the qualifying side. “But like I said, it's complicated to get everyone to agree. I just hope for next year we can make really big, big changes.”

However, the four-time F1 Champion admitted he was happy with the talks with the sport's management and the governing FIA, who he said listened to the drivers but admitted the limitation of the ability to change.

Verstappen explained: “The positive thing about it is that we’ve had some nice meetings with Formula 1 and the FIA. And I think that's hopefully a starting point for the future.

"Even in a few years’ time, maybe I'm not here anymore, but I really hope that for the future drivers as well, there's more input to come from the drivers to the organizers in general.

“Because I do think that most of the drivers here, we have a good understanding and a good feel of what is needed to make Formula 1 a good product, a fun product.

"And I think that's already a huge step forward in terms of the communication," the Red Bull driver maintained.

Had they listened, it wouldn't have come to this

And while Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been pushing the narrative that all is ok in the sport, Verstappen insisted he is only addressing the driving aspect and the feel of the cars without venturing onto commercial and political sides. 

“I only speak about the purity of the sport," he said, "what we need, and for the drivers as well, what we feel in the car. But you have to understand that it's a business; it's a sport. And that's, like I said, why it can be political at times.

“I hope [they’ll listen to the drivers] more and more. I'm sure that we can have really good input about that.

“I think if we would have had that five or six years ago, then we probably wouldn't have been in the state that we are in now.

"I just hope that it's a lesson for the future," Verstappen concluded, referring to when he and Red Bull raised the red flag regarding the new regulations early but were simply brushed aside by rivals, Formula 1, and the FIA. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)