Max Verstappen accused of 'throwing his toys out of the pram' over F1 rules

Max Verstappen has been criticised as a driver who "throws the toys out of the pram" following his consistent moaning over F1's new introductions.

The four-time F1 champion has been outspoken since first driving the latest Red Bull in pre-season testing, now powered by a 50-50 split of combustion and electrical energy.

After initially describing F1 as "Formula E on steroids", Verstappen has continued his verbal assault over the first two grands prix of the year in Australia and China, claiming the sport had become "Mario Kart" and that the rules would eventually 'bite F1 in the ass'.

In the opening two races, Verstappen finished sixth at Melbourne's Albert Park, before taking the chequered flag ninth in the sprint in Shanghai, and then retiring in the Chinese Grand Prix with an ERS issue.

Verstappen was one of seven cars which did not reach the finish line. Worse still was the fact that neither McLaren even started due to independent electrical issues within the MCL40s of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has insisted, though, that the problems encountered so far are "not the fault of the regulations" but "the fault of the team" concerned.

Speaking to TalkSport, Steiner added: "If a car doesn't start, like the two McLarens not starting, which hasn't happened for a long time, you cannot blame the regulations, because most of the other cars started."

[Article continues below]

Verstappen 'not used to not being in one of the best cars'

Turning to Verstappen, in particular, he said: "Max is not happy because his car is not where he likes it to be.

"But we need to be fair because Red Bull did their own power unit for the first time, and it's such an advanced technology, so it takes some time for the engineers to get used to it.

"I'm actually surprised how good the new engine manufacturers, like Red Bull Ford and Audi, are doing.

"Sometimes, as you said, Max throws the toys out of the pram quite quickly if things don't go his way."

Overall, Steiner has been pleasantly surprised by what he has seen so far in F1, despite the criticisms being aired by many of the leading protagonists.

"We've always got opinions about everything," said Steiner. "But where do I stand on it? I think it's a new technology.

"The racing was pretty good, obviously, people like Max maybe don't like change, and he's not used to not being in one of the best cars, so that doesn't help his mood to like the new regulations.

"I think they are actually pretty good. They will develop over time. All the teams are just learning at the moment what is going on, because it's an advanced technology. But the racing was good, and that's the most important thing."