Racing
© Ed Wingate
Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso have led a fresh wave of criticism from Formula 1 drivers ahead of the British Grand Prix, warning that Silverstone’s layout will expose the current energy-management rules at their worst and fundamentally change how the circuit can be raced.
The concern centers on a track defined by long straights and fast corners, with few heavy-braking zones to recharge the battery. Verstappen said that after running Silverstone on the simulator he “burst out laughing” because it “honestly felt like a completely different circuit,” with “hardly any battery power available during a lap.” He said drivers are effectively flat out for much of the lap, but without enough places to recover energy, that leaves them short of power where they would normally expect to attack.
That, Verstappen said, is what makes Silverstone so different from a circuit like the Red Bull Ring, where long straights are paired with big braking zones that let drivers charge again. At Silverstone, he said, the problem is the opposite: too many fast sections, not enough braking, and too little chance to refill the battery before the next straight.
Alonso delivered the sharpest verdict. The two-time world champion said, “This will be a sad display for the fans,” and added that “Fast corners like Copse, Maggots & Becketts and Chapel turn into charging stations.” His point was echoed more broadly in the paddock, with the criticism described as almost unanimous among the drivers before the weekend.
Even the more measured responses did not dispute the basic problem. Lando Norris said Sunday should still be exciting from the outside and “great” for spectators, but admitted the challenge inside the cockpit will be reduced. He said Copse would “certainly not be exactly the same challenge” as in previous years, and that Maggotts and Becketts would also be “certainly a bit less challenging,” even if the track would remain fast and good to watch.
George Russell was the main exception in tone rather than substance. While acknowledging that earlier generations of cars were more impressive, he argued drivers should not exaggerate the issue and said Silverstone would still deliver a major spectacle for the huge crowd expected at the circuit.
For Verstappen, the bigger issue is that the character of Silverstone itself is being altered. He said the way the current cars have to be driven there feels “far from natural,” and argued that the circuit is simply “not made for the way our current engines function.” In his view, that leaves little short-term fix and risks turning some of Formula 1’s most celebrated high-speed corners into places where drivers manage battery state instead of attacking them flat out.