Max Verstappen has been told he is “always welcome” to try Formula E racing if he truly can’t stand the new generation of Formula 1 cars. Verstappen turned heads at pre-season testing in Bahrain this week with a scathing critique of his latest Red Bull which, like all 2026 F1 cars, relies on much more electrical power.

It means drivers have to spend more time recovering energy on track, and less time with their foot to the floor. And four-time world champion Verstappen clearly isn’t enjoying his first experiences of F1’s new era. He moaned: “As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.

“As a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There’s a lot going on. A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things. For me, that’s just not Formula 1. Maybe it’s better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy efficiency and management. That’s what they stand for. Driving-wise, it’s not so fun.”

Express Sport put Verstappen’s comments to Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds, who on Friday said he would love to have the Dutchman join the all-electric championship. He also offered to let Verstappen take part in FE’s Evo Sessions series in Saudi Arabia this weekend, which will see some of the world’s biggest YouTubers get behind the wheel of 200mph electric race cars.

Dodds said: “I did drop him a message. It was very tongue-in-cheek. We’re in Jeddah, he’s in Bahrain, so we’re a very short flight away. I offered to come and get him if he would rather come here and have a go in an electric car. That invitation is open to Max always.

“I love Max. Generational talent as a driver. I love his character, I love the fact he says exactly what he feels. I wasn’t surprised to hear him say what he said. Our Gen4 (2027) car will still accelerate 30 percent faster than his Formula 1 car does today, permanent all-wheel drive. He would be able to go and thrash that car for half an hour at top speed and not lift.

“I think he’d really enjoy that style of driving, I think that absolutely suits him. The one thing I can’t promise Max is we’ll make it sound like a tractor. That won’t happen. We’re always going to be more fighter jet and spacecraft than tractor. But from the pure visceral feel of speed, we’ll be able to produce something for him that he probably hasn’t experienced before, certainly on acceleration.”

Dodds is adamant that more F1 drivers will soon show greater interest in racing in his championship in the coming years. But he insists he is not rooting for F1 to fail, adding: “I have more and more contact from Formula 1 drivers now asking how they could test a car. As our cars get faster, naturally, we’re going to attract more Formula 1 drivers.

“I don’t even think we should talk about Formula 1 drivers and Formula E drivers, just the top drivers in the world. I think more of the top drivers in the world are going to be interested in driving these cars. But I have no interest in them failing because, actually, I think a healthy Formula 1, a healthy kind of pinnacle of traditional motorsport, is good for all motorsport.

“I would love them to be successful and keep growing, and for us to come at the same time. What I think is very exciting for us is this validation of our technology and this validation of our street racing, our urban street circuits, our electric powertrain and the fact that Formula 1 is moving more towards this.”