Max Verstappen Prepares for Tough Weekend at Italian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen is braced for a bruising Italian Grand Prix weekend, admitting he has already “mentally accepted” that Monza under the 2026 regulations will be “really painful” from behind the wheel.

The reigning world champion has spent much of the year railing against Formula 1’s next rules cycle, likening the future style of racing to “Mario Kart” earlier in the season. Monza, with its long straights and sparse energy recovery, has always loomed as the brutal reality check.

Back in 2023, Verstappen warned that drivers might have to downshift on the straights at the Temple of Speed because of the 50:50 split between internal combustion and battery power built into the 2026 rules. That prediction still hangs over the paddock. So does his frustration.

He has toned down the public outbursts in recent months, but on Thursday at Monza the dread slipped through.

“Really painful, it’s very energy inefficient,” he told GPblog and other media when asked how the 2026 cars will feel around Monza. “But I also don’t want to be too negative about it all.

“It’s what it is, I accepted it mentally. Also, you know, just prepare for a weekend where it’s a bit different. You cannot push flat out, you just have to be gentle with the throttle. Let’s call it like that.”

For a driver who has built his dominance on relentless, attacking pace, the idea of nursing the throttle down Monza’s iconic straights cuts against his racing DNA. Yet Verstappen is clear: this is the direction the sport has chosen, and he will have to live with it.

He did, though, underline that acceptance does not mean satisfaction.

The Dutchman acknowledged that F1 and the FIA are working hard to refine the 2026 package, but he was blunt about how far there is still to go.

Asked whether the latest mid-season tweaks to the rules would make overtaking at Monza any better in 2026, Verstappen did not sugar-coat his view.

“It happens on a lot of tracks where changes are being made to try and make it better,” he said. “But better doesn’t mean that it’s fixed. It’s far from fixed.

“But, I mean, everyone is trying to do the best they can, the FIA and F1, they are all trying to deal with the current situation.”

The message is clear: the direction of travel might be improving, but the destination is still a long way off.

No miracle cure for Red Bull at Monza

Away from the long-term debate, Verstappen cut a realistic figure about Red Bull’s prospects this weekend.

On paper, Red Bull should be well placed under the 2026 framework. The Milton Keynes outfit has been widely credited with having the strongest internal combustion engine (ICE) on the projected grid. That status, though, does not magically solve their current issues at tracks that punish energy inefficiency.

“I think on the inefficient tracks, we’ve not been particularly great with energy, so I don’t expect miracles here. It will still be tough,” Verstappen admitted.

The challenge is compounded by the development race raging around them. Rivals are rolling out upgrades, chipping away at Red Bull’s margins, and in some cases erasing them altogether.

“Other teams around us are bringing upgrades at the moment, so they are making steps forward,” he said. “We were already behind before that, so I don’t expect that to change now.

“But we just try to learn more about the car and the things that we want to do different for next year as well.”

So Verstappen arrives at Monza with a double burden: a weekend he expects to be hard work in the present, and a glimpse of a 2026 future he believes will be even more punishing.

He has accepted it. That does not mean he has to like it.