Max Verstappen delivers remarkable verdict on new Formula E rocket

Jaguar Formula E driver António Félix da Costa has revealed that Max Verstappen thinks the all-electric series' new Gen4 car is "cool", while he was not a fan of the current Gen3 Evo.

On Tuesday afternoon at Circuit Paul Ricard, Formula E officially launched its new Gen4 car, which will be introduced next season to mark the start of its next regulatory cycle.

The race car represents a significant step in performance and, therefore, towards F1, with lap times expected to be, on average, at least 10 seconds faster.

Already this year, Formula E has been a major talking point in the F1 paddock, largely due to Verstappen's initial description of the regulations to the media during Bahrain pre-season testing.

In Bahrain, the four-time world champion described F1's regulations as being like "Formula E on steroids", while his views on the new Gen4 car have also been noted.

Verstappen, a good friend of da Costa, shared his views on the car with the Portuguese driver following its launch, and he was left highly impressed.

"Yeah, it felt like we were reintroducing ourselves to the world for two reasons," da Costa told Motorsport Week, discussing the launch. "Firstly, because it’s a new car. For me, it’s been well introduced into the motorsport world by now, but it’s probably our biggest step yet.

"[The] look and feel, technology, speed, performance — I think it’s not a big secret that the Gen3 wasn’t a very popular car when it came out. And I think now, with this car, we’ve really doubled down on it in a good way, and it’s a really good first impression.

"I have a cool story: when the Gen3 was revealed, one of the first messages I got was from Max Verstappen, and he was like, ‘I’m not sure about this one.’ And yesterday, when it went out, one of the first messages I got was from Max Verstappen saying, ‘This is cool!’

"So yeah, if the F1 guys are validating it, that’s a cool thing as well, and I think it’s just great for the series."