Pembalap Red Bull Racing Max Verstappen menyatakan rencana perubahan regulasi mesin Formula 1 untuk musim 2027 akan mengembalikan kompetisi mendekati kondisi normal sekaligus memperbesar peluang dirinya bertahan di ajang tersebut.
Pernyataan itu disampaikan menjelang rangkaian Grand Prix Kanada setelah adanya kesepakatan prinsip antara FIA, FOM, dan pabrikan untuk mengubah rasio performa mesin jet darat dari pembagian 50-50 menjadi 60-40 antara mesin pembakaran internal (ICE) dan daya elektrik.
<"It will make the product better, so that means that I'm happier. And that's what I want. To be able to continue and perform well."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Verstappen sebelumnya sempat mempertanyakan masa depannya di Formula 1 karena tidak menyukai efek dari regulasi mesin saat ini yang dinilai terlalu didominasi oleh manajemen energi.
<"For me, I'm happy where I'm at. I see the team really progressing. And that's also very exciting to see."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Perubahan teknis ini rencananya dilakukan dengan meningkatkan aliran bahan bakar ke mesin pembakaran internal dan mengurangi porsi elektrik sebesar 50 kilowatt guna mencegah mobil kehilangan kecepatan di trek lurus.
<"I always wanted to continue anyway. But I always wanted to see change. And I think the change that's coming now is definitely very positive. Or, at least, I would say almost back to normal - so that's good."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Kendati demikian, laporan dari The Race menyebutkan bahwa rencana regulasi 2027 ini terancam mandeg karena belum mendapat dukungan mayoritas dari minimal empat dari enam pabrikan yang berkompetisi.
<"Yeah, definitely. I just want a good product in Formula 1. And that will for sure improve the product."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Saat ini baru Mercedes dan Red Bull yang menyetujui percepatan regulasi tersebut, sementara Audi keberatan karena faktor anggaran di tengah pembatasan biaya, dan Ferrari mencemaskan hilangnya mekanisme kompensasi pengembangan (ADUO).
<"Hopefully that will happen next year. That will already help a lot, because I've always said it doesn't matter if I had a good car or not. It's just the product. And I think the product will improve like that, so naturally I think the enjoyment will go up as well."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Dukungan terhadap arah perubahan regulasi ini juga datang dari pembalap McLaren Lando Norris yang menilai langkah tersebut sudah tepat bagi kenyamanan para pembalap.
<"That's a great direction that we all welcome as drivers. We all want that."> ujar Lando Norris, Pembalap McLaren.
Rekan setimnya, Oscar Piastri, turut menambahkan bahwa perubahan ini merupakan sebuah langkah maju yang positif meski detail teknisnya belum sepenuhnya final.
<"Maybe it's not the perfect world that we all want, but it certainly will be in the correct direction, I would say."> ujar Lando Norris, Pembalap McLaren.
Pembalap Mercedes George Russell juga sepakat bahwa pengurangan efek penurunan daya di trek lurus akan berdampak positif, meskipun ia belum mengetahui dampak pastinya terhadap situasi balapan secara keseluruhan.
<"It's a step in the right direction. But it's not fixed."> ujar Oscar Piastri, Pembalap McLaren.
Verstappen menambahkan bahwa keterbukaan FIA dan FOM dalam mendengarkan masukan para pembalap pada awal tahun ini merupakan hal yang sangat baik demi kepentingan olahraga.
<"The engine shouldn't lose power as you go down the straight, which you think is correct and the right thing to do,"> ujar George Russell, Pembalap Mercedes.
Perdebatan mengenai detail regulasi baru ini masih terus berlangsung di balik layar karena adanya kepentingan politik dan keunggulan kompetitif dari masing-masing pabrikan.
<"How it's going to impact racing I don't know."> ujar George Russell, Pembalap Mercedes.
Verstappen menegaskan pentingnya komitmen penuh dari otoritas balap untuk merealisasikan rencana ini tanpa terhambat oleh kepentingan politik tim.
<"I mean, it's definitely heading into a very positive direction,"> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Pembalap asal Belanda tersebut menyadari bahwa kepastian regulasi ini masih harus menunggu keputusan resmi yang sepenuhnya dikonfirmasi.
<"I think it's like the minimum I was hoping for, and I think it's really nice that that's what they want to do. That's definitely what I think also the sport needs."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Ia juga menekankan bahwa peningkatan kualitas kompetisi di Formula 1 akan membuat dirinya jauh lebih bahagia untuk terus berkarier di ajang tersebut.
<"Yes, definitely. I mean, I just want a good product in Formula 1 and that will for sure improve the product."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Verstappen sendiri datang ke Montreal setelah pekan lalu mengikuti balapan ketahanan Nurburgring 24 Jam, di mana kendaraannya gagal menang akibat kerusakan as roda saat balapan tersisa tiga jam.
<"I mean, like I said before, it will make the product better. So that means that I'm happier and that's what I want to be able to continue in Formula 1. Yes or no? Well, it doesn't matter."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Meskipun gagal finis akibat kendala mekanis, Verstappen mengaku sangat menikmati pengalaman membalap dalam kondisi basah dan berbagi kemudi dengan rekan setimnya.
<"I mean, for me, I'm happy where I'm at. I see the team really progressing and that's also very exciting to see. And for me, I always wanted to continue anyway, but I always wanted to see change."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Terkait ancaman kebuntuan regulasi akibat kepentingan pabrikan, pembalap Ferrari Charles Leclerc mengingatkan bahwa mencari solusi yang adil bagi semua pihak ternyata jauh lebih rumit.
<"That's why we have to wait and see until it's fully confirmed,"> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Pembalap Williams Carlos Sainz pun mendesak FIA dan FOM untuk bersikap tegas dalam mengambil keputusan yang terbaik bagi masa depan Formula 1.
<"But that definitely needs to happen."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Pertemuan krusial antara CEO F1 Stefano Domenicali, petinggi FIA, dan para produsen mesin dijadwalkan berlangsung sepanjang akhir pekan ini di Montreal untuk mencari titik temu.
<"I mean, the more you also achieve in the sport, I think, naturally, you have a bit more of a voice. But, yeah, of course, I'm very happy,"> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Verstappen juga menegaskan ambisinya untuk kembali ke balapan ketahanan tersebut di masa depan apabila jadwal Formula 1 miliknya memungkinkan.
<"In the beginning of the year, I had a few meetings with FOM and then, of course, with other drivers, with the FIA as well. It's just great that they're open-minded and they listen to the drivers. Because I think we speak, or at least most of us speak, in the interest of the sport."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
Pembahasan mengenai regulasi mesin ini dipastikan menjadi agenda utama di luar lintasan sepanjang akhir pekan Grand Prix Kanada 2026.
<"We just want to make it a better product and that's why you come up with recommendations. And I think what they are trying to do is definitely the right thing."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
<"To find something that makes sense for everybody and that is fair for everybody is a lot more complex than what we initially thought,"> ujar Charles Leclerc, Pembalap Ferrari.
<"So that's why I think it's going to be tricky to find something that is good for everybody. But I know everybody is working towards that."> ujar Charles Leclerc, Pembalap Ferrari.
<"Unfortunately, like always in this sport there will be politics involved and different interests involved across the main manufacturers that will push back and push forward depending on what they're looking for,"> ujar Carlos Sainz, Pembalap Williams.
<"That's why if anything, from here, I can just ask the FIA and FOM to be tough with what they believe is the right thing for the sport."> ujar Carlos Sainz, Pembalap Williams.
<"I've had a few days to process it,"> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
<"Overall it was just a great week. I enjoyed it a lot. Of course it was going to be my first big endurance race. Everything went really well, we had the car in good shape. I think we executed it very well."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
<"Unfortunately it's still a mechanical sport at the end of the day. We had that failure which, of course, cost us the win, because we had everything under control up until that point."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
<"But the whole experience of driving in the wet, changing conditions, the whole experience of sharing it with my team-mates... It was something that I really enjoyed."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
<"It was something that we prepared for a long time. We managed to get it all together for that weekend. It was really cool and it was also something that I would like to keep going."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
<"I want to win it,"> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
<"So I want to go back."> kata Max Verstappen, Pembalap Red Bull Racing.
