The Tsunoda Verstappen row over Formula 1’s new machinery has reached Madrid, with the Racing Bulls stand-in refusing to accept that his own form proves the 2026 cars have gone soft. Max Verstappen told the BBC this week that the new-generation hybrids are “numb” to driver input — and named Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson as his evidence.
What the Tsunoda Verstappen exchange actually shows
“No disrespect. And I hope no one picks up on this,” Verstappen said, in comments reported by Motorsport.com. “But look at Yuki. He jumps in the car. Never driven the car before. Immediately competitive. Liam jumps from the Racing Bulls to the Red Bull – immediately competitive. It’s because these cars are numb to your driver inputs.”
Tsunoda, who has started the last two grands prix for Racing Bulls while Isack Hadjar recovers from a wrist injury, was unmoved when the quotes were put to him on Thursday.
“It’s his comments, so… I don’t know. I really just read it, to be honest,” the Japanese driver said. “It’s a different car, for sure. Energy deployment and stuff is different — you can’t really push flat out in some corners. Something I experienced in Monza.
“I’m not really taking anything from his comments… what I showed in two races, it’s a very individual thing. I think I’ve done a good job and that’s it.”
The caveat both sides skip
The numbers sit somewhere between the two positions. Lawson took seventh at Zandvoort and Tsunoda scored a point at Monza, yet both were outqualified by their team-mates in every session across the two weekends. It is the same argument that followed Lawson’s Dutch Grand Prix run last month, and it will not be settled at the Madring, where Tsunoda deputises again this weekend.
