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Formula 116 July 20262 min readBy F1 News Desk

Bortoleto Tells F1's Complainers To 'Turn The Page' On 2026

Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto has told F1's 2026 critics to 'turn the page,' insisting the cars are still fun and fast — a direct challenge to Max Verstappen and others who argue the new formula has dulled the sport.

Bortoleto Tells F1's Complainers To 'Turn The Page' On 2026

Key Takeaways

  • 1.He acknowledged the much-discussed lifting without accepting it ruins the challenge: "It's 280[km/h], so I'm still lifting to do that corner." His broader message was blunt.
  • 2.The four-time champion has been the loudest critic of the 2026 direction, at one stage describing a weekend where "every lap is survival" in a Red Bull he called "all over the place," and has repeatedly hinted the rules could hasten his exit from the sport.
  • 3.Jalopnik, weighing in on the row, argued that much of the criticism is overblown, writing that "every era of F1 had its constraints" and suggesting the complaints amount to "just an excuse for a few aggressive drivers who are bad at managing their energy." Spa will hand both camps their evidence.

The defining background noise of the 2026 Formula 1 season has been drivers complaining about the new cars: heavier, more reliant on energy deployment, and forcing lifts at corners that used to be flat. This week one of the grid's least experienced drivers told the rest to get over it.

Gabriel Bortoleto, in his rookie campaign with Audi, was asked after the British Grand Prix whether the sport had lost something under the new formula. He rejected the premise outright.

"I don't think we've lost the magic of the sport. We are still driving f***ing quick through Copse," Bortoleto said, referencing Silverstone's flat-out opener. He acknowledged the much-discussed lifting without accepting it ruins the challenge: "It's 280[km/h], so I'm still lifting to do that corner."

His broader message was blunt. "I think we should turn the page. That's the regulations we're living right now," he said, adding that the grid "cannot spend three years talking about the same problem." For Bortoleto, adaptation is the job: "The cars are still fun to drive. It's different. We need to adapt to that and it's life."

It is a direct shot at drivers who have been far less diplomatic — chief among them Max Verstappen. The four-time champion has been the loudest critic of the 2026 direction, at one stage describing a weekend where "every lap is survival" in a Red Bull he called "all over the place," and has repeatedly hinted the rules could hasten his exit from the sport.

Not everyone in the paddock buys the gloom, and the split does not run along seniority lines. Lando Norris, no rookie, has been happy to needle Verstappen over the griping, quipping earlier in the year that his rival "can retire if he wants" if the cars are that unbearable.

The counterweight comes from those worried about the racing itself rather than the driving. Oscar Piastri has been cautious about the energy-starved circuits, suggesting venues like Spa risk producing dull, deployment-limited races where cars run short of battery on the straights — a concern that will be tested directly this weekend.

Even parts of the media have taken sides. Jalopnik, weighing in on the row, argued that much of the criticism is overblown, writing that "every era of F1 had its constraints" and suggesting the complaints amount to "just an excuse for a few aggressive drivers who are bad at managing their energy."

Spa will hand both camps their evidence. It is one of the most energy-limited tracks on the calendar, the exact profile that has produced the season's worst lift-and-coast footage. A processional Belgian Grand Prix strengthens the complainers; a good one makes Bortoleto's "turn the page" look like the smartest read in the paddock.

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