RacingMax Verstappen joined Formula 1’s latest 2026 rules meeting on Monday and, according to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, the Red Bull driver was “very keen to give suggestions” as the sport moves quickly toward possible changes that could start as soon as Miami.
The virtual meeting on 13 April brought drivers, the FIA and Formula One Management together after weeks of criticism about the new rules package. George Russell attended in his role as GPDA president, and multiple reports described the session as “positive and productive.” It followed a separate remote meeting last Thursday between team technical representatives, with the next step now due on 20 April when team principals are set to discuss the proposed revisions before any final approval from the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
The timetable matters because the first phase of any update could arrive at the Miami Grand Prix in early May. According to the reporting around the meeting, the FIA is pushing for broad agreement and had planned to fold driver input into the process. Monday’s discussion appears to have been that step.
The main focus is energy management. According to the source summaries, the changes under discussion are aimed at reducing the “at-times dangerous closing speeds” seen with the 2026 cars and making qualifying “more about pushing to the limit again.” That follows complaints from drivers and critics after the first three race weekends, where lift-and-coast driving and “super clipping” have become flashpoints with the more energy-starved cars.
Verstappen’s presence stood out because he has been one of the most vocal critics of the rules and has even questioned his long-term future in F1. In an interview with Motorsport.com, F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali said he had been speaking with Verstappen regularly. “I think that with Max, we have spoken many, many times since the beginning. So we understand that I understand his comments and he understands the bigger picture,” Domenicali said, F1 CEO and president, in the interview with Motorsport.com. “Even today he has been in a meeting where he was very keen to give suggestions.”
Domenicali said Verstappen’s criticism should be heard, but he also made clear that public comments from a driver of his standing carry extra force. “So we're going to be together. He's the best driver, he's a world champion, multiple world champion, and of course, his voice has to be listened to. But of course, he knows that his voice also has a weight. And he needs to respect that weight [because] sometimes some people can take it the wrong way. And this is something that we should not allow to happen,” Domenicali said, F1 CEO and president, in the interview with Motorsport.com.
Domenicali framed the wider talks as open rather than confrontational. “My conversations with them are definitely very open and they know that I do care about their opinions. I want them to be involved,” Domenicali said, F1 CEO and president, in the interview with Motorsport.com. In the same interview, he said both F1 and the FIA remain open to improving the product further, especially on Saturdays, even as he argued the racing has been “very, very good” so far.
What is still unclear is how much of the drivers’ feedback will make it into the final package. That should become clearer once the team principals meet on 20 April and the FIA decides what can move forward for the next stage of the 2026 season.