Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds has offered a response to Max Verstappen’s comments on Thursday evening in Bahrain, where he compared the new Formula 1 regulations to the all-electric series.
F1 has introduced major power unit regulations which have seen a 50/50 split between electrical power and internal combustion, triggering comparisons to Formula E and its need for energy management.
Verstappen stated in Bahrain: "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."
The four-time world champion’s comments have not been taken as a negative by Formula E, with Dodds believing the Dutchman would enjoy its upcoming Gen4 car.
Dodds is a fan of Verstappen, both as a driver and as a person, and believes his preferred way of racing aligns with the trajectory Formula E is on.
"When one of the generational talents of a sport — and Max is one of those — speaks and decides to reference you as a comparison, that can’t be bad for the sport, because more people are talking about Formula E today than were talking about it tomorrow," Dodds told RacingNews365 in an interview.
"That cannot be bad for the sport, and I viewed Max’s comments as very logical, which is: if I wanted to race in this style of racing, I would be at Formula E, which is what they’ve always done and what they’re designed for. That’s not to my taste.
"The interesting thing is — and I did message Max last night, by the way — what I think is interesting is that as Formula E continues on its trajectory, the style of racing in Formula E becomes probably more and more to his taste.
"It gives you this ability to feel like, on the start line, you’ve been hit by a juggernaut up the backside, because it takes off at a rate he will not have experienced in any of the cars he’s raced. And once you’ve got the 600 kW fully unleashed on a racetrack, I think he’d love that style of racing. Let’s see if we can get him in a car at some point."
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Dodds' message to Verstappen
Following Max Verstappen’s comments, Jeff Dodds contacted Verstappen to invite him to this weekend’s Jeddah E-Prix so he could see the series for himself.
The pair worked together two years ago on a charity bet that saw them split $250,000, and they have maintained a positive relationship.
Asked what his message to Verstappen said, Dodds revealed: "I just said to him, ‘You know, we’re in Jeddah, you’re in Bahrain — I’ll come and get you if you like. If you want to have a go, I’ll come and get you.’ But it was very tongue-in-cheek.
"I did the big bet with Max a couple of years ago and, you know, I’m a big Max fan. I think he’s great for the sport. I think he’s a generational talent in the car. We did the charitable donation — we split [$250,000] together — and I got to chat to him through that process. And I enjoyed it.
"I enjoy the simplicity of Max’s view of the world, which is that he likes what he likes, and he’s been brilliant for the sport. So him talking about us as a reference point is a good thing."
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