Max Verstappen didn’t sound worried when he talked about this weekend’s 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. When asked about the circuit last weekend in Austria, he sounded amused, in the way you laugh when something’s about to go wrong and there’s nothing you can do about it.
The four-time champion ran simulator laps at Red Bull’s factory ahead of the British Grand Prix and came away convinced the circuit will be the toughest energy management test of the 2026 season. Speaking after his runner-up finish in Austria, Verstappen said he “just started laughing” the first time he drove Silverstone in its 2026 form, adding that it felt like an entirely different track once the battery ran dry mid-lap.
“Silverstone, I love the track, but I did a few laps on the simulator, I just started laughing,” Verstappen quipped. “It felt like a different track, to be honest. You barely have battery around the lap.”
The problem, according to Verstappen, comes down to layout. Circuits like the Red Bull Ring pair long straights with heavy braking zones, which lets the battery recharge before the next burst of acceleration. Silverstone doesn’t offer that same rhythm. Its straights are followed by fast, sweeping corners rather than hard stops, so there’s little opportunity to top off the electrical system before the car needs it again. Verstappen put it bluntly: you have long straights, but you hit a quick corner instead of a braking zone, and by the next straight there’s nothing left to spend.
Also Read:: Ferrari Eyeing Silverstone Redemption After Hamilton Admits Austrian GP Was a ‘Reality Check’
The four-time champion ran simulator laps at Red Bull’s factory ahead of the British Grand Prix and came away convinced the circuit will be the toughest energy management test of the 2026 season. Speaking after his runner-up finish in Austria, Verstappen said he “just started laughing” the first time he drove Silverstone in its 2026 form, adding that it felt like an entirely different track once the battery ran dry mid-lap.
“Silverstone, I love the track, but I did a few laps on the simulator, I just started laughing,” Verstappen quipped. “It felt like a different track, to be honest. You barely have battery around the lap.”
The problem, according to Verstappen, comes down to layout. Circuits like the Red Bull Ring pair long straights with heavy braking zones, which lets the battery recharge before the next burst of acceleration. Silverstone doesn’t offer that same rhythm. Its straights are followed by fast, sweeping corners rather than hard stops, so there’s little opportunity to top off the electrical system before the car needs it again. Verstappen put it bluntly: you have long straights, but you hit a quick corner instead of a braking zone, and by the next straight there’s nothing left to spend.
Also Read:: Ferrari Eyeing Silverstone Redemption After Hamilton Admits Austrian GP Was a ‘Reality Check’
4 months ago
