McLaren talks, ‘numb’ cars and being ‘captain of the ship’ – Verstappen Q&A
McLaren talks, 'numb' cars and being 'captain of the ship' – Verstappen Q&A. In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, Max Verstappen talks about his new contract at Red Bull and much more.
What happened
You cannot be the captain of the ship and as soon as there is something not working, you jump off the ship. It's because these cars are numb to your driver inputs. Captain Jarrod Bowen scored twice as West Ham's 3-2 win over Bolton took them top of the Sky Bet Championship on goal difference and earned a first ever win at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. She is a fascinating expert witness in Alex Gibney’s four-hour epic study of the world’s richest and dullest man: the overgrown brattish South-African-born trillionaire plutocrat, ersatz visionary and Trump courtier who owns Tesla cars, SpaceX rocket ships, Starlink satellites on which nation states’ military capabilities are increasingly reliant, X (formerly Twitter) which shapes the collective “incel” id of billions and GrokAI whose vast server farms daily guzzle oceans of precious water.
Both his cars and his rocket ships got him on the receiving end of millions of dollars of federal money and lines of credit. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Max Verstappen has had five podiums so far in 2026 but is yet to win a raceByAndrew BensonF1 CorrespondentPublished3 hours agoMax Verstappen is in a no-nonsense mood – even more than usual. The temperature is into the mid-30Cs, Red Bull's hospitality unit is not coping well, and Verstappen's PR handler messages before the Dutchman turns up to suggest I find a table near a fan; the interview might be more positive that way.
The wider picture
So Verstappen is earning a bit more money but, if Red Bull are still struggling for competitiveness next year, there will remain the prospect he could look for pastures new. Verstappen arrives and briefly adjusts the fan blowing in our direction. Now, for whatever reason, he is especially frank and open, as we discuss why he extended his contract, his discussions with McLaren, his stunning appearance at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, and the new Formula 1 engine rules, with which it is no secret he has a problem.
"You talked to Mercedes last year, McLaren this year. Eventually, of course also Hypercar [the world endurance championship]. "Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Max Verstappen, along with team-mates Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, was leading the Nurburgring 24 Hours by about 30 seconds with three hours and 20 minutes left when a broken driveshaft ended their victory hopesIs it true you want to do Le Mans with Fernando Alonso? When you drive the old cars, you cannot imagine the difference in how the engine responds, or the drivability you get.
You walk around, you hear these cars go out, you have goosebumps.
What has been reported
"It is the emotion of the noise that you get from these cars, of the vibration. Skip to content Bolton Wanderers vs West Ham United; Sky Bet Championship FTFull Time AETAfter Extra Time LIVEThis is a live match. Bolton Wanderers 2 E Erhahon (18'18th minute) R Rodrigues (27'27th minute pen) West Ham United 3 J Bowen (13'13th minute, 77'77th minute) K Mavropanos (31'31st minute) Latest Sky Bet Championship Odds Get Sky SportsGet a NOW Sports Membership Watch Live Bolton 2-3 West Ham: Jarrod Bowen double sends Nuno Espirito Santo's Hammers top of the Championship Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Tuesday night; Jarrod Bowen scores twice as Nuno Espirito Santo's Hammers move top of the table Tuesday 8 September 2026 23:17, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Bolton and West Ham.
Image: Jarrod Bowen's double helped West Ham to a dramatic victory Watch FREE Championship highlights | Latest EFL news and rumoursNot got Sky? Watch EFL games on your phone Watch FREE Championship highlights Looking for their first second-tier success since the opening day of the campaign, Bolton hit the front after 27 minutes. The belief of everyone, starting with the ownership, the staff, the players and the fans, we are trying to have better days. And at the beginning of the 21st century he was still the darling of the liberal world and the Obama administration for an apparently compelling eco-vision for non-fossil-fuel cars.
The Red Bull driver is renowned for his straight talking but now, as he discusses his 2026 season so far in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, he is at his most uncompromising.
What happens next
We're talking on the eve of last weekend's Italian Grand Prix. Monza is the second race since the four-time world champion signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull. It was just that it was super-hot in the corner when I was doing the print [media]. Where's your head at, Max, in terms of how the season has gone so far? "Of course it's not where I want to be, but as a team we're trying to just learn and understand a lot of things for next year.
"Changes need to happen to the car for next year. We will not be able to change that for this year, but we just need to try and get a lot of learnings to do better next year.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, skysports.com, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.