Max Verstappen has voiced his frustration with the new Formula 1 cars, describing them as 'super frustrating to drive' in an untelevised team radio exchange during the Australian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver, who finished sixth at the Albert Park Circuit, complained about the car's battery and handling, highlighting the challenges of the 2025 season's regulations.
Verstappen started at the rear of the grid after crashing on his first qualifying lap. Despite recovering to sixth place, he finished 54.617 seconds behind race winner George Russell of Mercedes. In post-race comments, the 28-year-old labelled his performance 'terrible' and called for rule changes to make racing more enjoyable.
The radio footage, captured by Red Bull's internal channel, revealed Verstappen's exchange with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. After Lambiase praised his recovery, Verstappen replied, 'It's just super frustrating to drive.' He later complained, 'Mate, my battery is almost empty, it just doesn't charge,' to which Lambiase responded, 'Keep your head down, today it's not gonna matter.'
Verstappen's frustrations come amid a new era for F1, with revised technical regulations aimed at improving competition. The next race is the Chinese Grand Prix on March 15 at the Shanghai International Circuit.
