Formula 1 Japan Preview: Verstappen Faces More Than Just Red Bull Upset

Motorsport photo After the first two race weekends under the new technical regulations, opinions in the Formula 1 paddock remain divided. Lewis Hamilton said in Shanghai that he had not enjoyed the racing this much in a long time. “I think it’s the best racing that I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1,” he said after securing his first Ferrari podium.

“It felt like go-karting, back and forth, back and forth, and you could really position your car in a nice way where there was a thin piece of paper between us sometimes. ” Read Also: Lewis Hamilton's first Ferrari GP podium "one of the most enjoyable F1 races ever" Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso , among others, were more critical. The Aston Martin driver called F1 “a battle of the batteries”, while Verstappen still likens it to Mario Kart.

“It’s terrible. If someone likes this, then you really don't know what racing is about,” the Red Bull driver said after the race. Evaluation after China goes ahead, but no ‘knee-jerk reaction’ Ahead of the season, it had already been clear that the FIA planned an evaluation with all teams and stakeholders after the sprint weekend in China.

A spokesperson told Motorsport. com that this meeting is part of an “ongoing dialogue” and will still go ahead as planned. However, the mood in the paddock has shifted somewhat since the season opener in Melbourne.