Max Verstappen shares feelings after testing new Red Bull in simulator

Max Verstappen has tested Red Bull's 2026 car in the simulator, but maintains there is not "much use for it" currently.

The Dutchman, ahead of his home grand prix at Zandvoort, finds himself all but out of the drivers' title fight for the year, so attention is slowly shifting towards the looming regulation changes that will sweep over F1 this winter.

At 97 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri and only 10 rounds remaining, the four-time F1 drivers' champion would need a miraculous turnaround with a sizeable chunk of good fortune to win a fifth consecutive crown.

As a result, the focus is gradually moving onto the RB22 of next season, with the RB21 expected to see little development over the rest of the campaign.

When asked to what extent he is already thinking about 2026, the 27-year-old explained the process already underway at Red Bull.

"Step by step," the 65-time grand prix winner replied to Dutch media outlets, including RacingNews365.

"Of course, you are working on this year, but you are also already looking at things for next year. And the teams are busy working on it anyway.

"In the beginning, you depend on what they build. From there you go as a driver.... Then you feel things and see things that maybe could be different."

However, whilst Verstappen is using the simulator for his 2026 preparations, in his view, there is only so much value it can bring at this stage.

"I was in the simulator on Tuesday," he explained. "But on the simulator, there are all these things.... You can make it as good as you want in terms of how you fill it out. You don't have much use for that at the moment."

A significant part of the intrigue surrounding the new power unit and chassis rules is that there has been ample criticism from drivers over what they have experienced in the simulator thus far.

Although Verstappen, on the other hand, does not want to get drawn into that conversation, instead choosing to remain neutral for now.

"I prefer to keep a low profile," the Red Bull driver said. "There is no point in being negative or positive anyway, let's just wait and see."