Max Verstappen reveals discussions over 'dangerous' F1 problem

Max Verstappen has revealed that he is in conversations with the FIA to solve F1's "dangerous" problem of drivers starting races with empty batteries.

The season-opening Australian GP saw several drivers take to their grid slots with either no or very little charge in their batteries, causing issues as the lights went out.

Liam Lawson crawled off the line, resulting in a terrifying near-miss with Franco Colapinto, who somehow avoided driving directly into the back of the Racing Bulls at speed.

Verstappen, who started in 20th following a surprise crash in qualifying, was one of the drivers who had no battery charge at the beginning of the race.

However, ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, the four-time world champion has insisted that there are "simple solutions" to fix the problem for everyone.

Discussing if its possible to solve the empty battery issue in the coming races, Verstappen explained: "There are a few simple solutions, but they need to be allowed by the FIA regarding the battery-related stuff. 

"Starting with 0% battery is not a lot of fun and is also quite dangerous. So, we're in discussions with them to see what can be done. You could see we almost had a massive shunt at the start in Melbourne. 

"Now, some of that is related to batteries. Some, of course, can be addressed with an anti-stall system, but you could see a lot of big speed differences because I was not the only car with almost, let's say, no battery—or 20–30%. This is something that I think can be easily fixed."

Verstappen's FIA talks

Verstappen has been highly critical of F1's new power unit regulations since their introduction but has been in conversation with the FIA to make positive changes.

The Red Bull driver said on media day in Shanghai that he does not want to leave the championship, despite what he has previously said, but would like to see adjustments.

Asked if he could elaborate on the talks with the FIA to make improvements to the rules, or whether he is resigned to the current cars for the next few years, Verstappen answered: "I definitely hope not for the next few years, but I hope that already for next year we can make a decent improvement.

"But there are a few options that we are discussing."