Max Verstappen has been a level above in 2022, as he stormed to his second consecutive world championship as his rivals faltered.
The Dutchman won a stunning 15 races over the course of the season, smashing the previous record of 13 that was held by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher on his way to the championship.
Interestingly, of the races that Verstappen failed to win, two of them were the most iconic street circuits of the calendar, in Monaco and Singapore.
Both of these races were won by Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez who has gained the title of ‘King of the street circuits’, as the Dutchman struggled.
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When speaking about his views on street circuits in F1, Verstappen has now suggested that the new era of cars are no longer suited to such iconic tracks, which has led to the Dutchman falling out of love with such circuits.
“Formula 1 cars are really not made for that. I don’t like street circuits at all anymore,” said the 25-year-old.
“It was still manageable with the old cars, but not now. In Monaco and Singapore I was really disappointed with how the new cars took to the streets.
“Too heavy, too stiff, you can’t take the kerbs with it anymore. The cars just aren’t built for it. Good for pictures, not for racing,” he concluded.
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Formula 1 will see the addition of another street race in 2023 as the Las Vegas Grand Prix makes it’s debut next November, possibly to the disappointment of Verstappen who has made his thoughts clear of the classic style of circuit.
If the Dutchman would like to retain his title for another year in 2023 he might want to ask his teammate for some advice on how to master the street circuits under the new regulations, with Jeddah, Miami, Baku, Monaco, Singapore and Las Vegas all being street style walled circuits on next year’s calendar.
Red Bull will have to find a way of allowing both of their drivers to extract the maximum from their cars at all styles of circuits, as Mercedes and Ferrari are both confident of making strides forward in 2023 and mounting more serious title challenges after faltering starts to the new era of F1.