Red Bull's Verstappen says electric cars are the future
Verstappen has never been one to shy away from making his opinions known, and the Formula 1 champion thinks that electric cars are the future of racing. Speaking at an event in London, Verstappen addressed the topic of Formula 1’s move towards introducing new hybrid engines next year and beyond. He pointed out that F1 cars already use electric power in their KERS systems, and he compared the tech to the electric motors used by both F1 and IndyCar in their premier support series, Formula E.
Max Verstappen
Formula 1 champion with Red Bull, soon-to-be Formula E driver, and car enthusiast. The 19-year-old Dutchman has been a real breath of fresh air in F1, and he's only getting started. We had a chance to sit down with him recently at his dad Jos' hospitality suite in Montreal before Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix to chat about his passion for electric cars—and how he thinks they're going to change motorsports. He even let us test drive a Tesla P100D on an autocross course outside of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Check out our video above or read more below...
The F1 Champion
We think it’s a very good idea, it would help in developing other technologies as well. Formula 1 is at a very high level so why not use Formula 1 to promote other technology? It will be good for Red Bull and we think that it will be a success. Then you can say that you have driven an F1 car in 20 years time if you have driven an electric car. I don’t know what’s going to happen with electricity but that would be interesting for sure. You need super fast charging batteries; when I was doing some simulator testing with Renault there were different batteries of different performance levels and we found out very quickly which one was best.
He drives like a dream
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is widely considered one of Formula 1’s rising stars. The 20-year-old wunderkind took over from retiring champion and four-time title winner Sebastian Vettel at Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2015, and has since won three Grand Prix, placed third in 2016’s Driver Championship and earned some very positive reviews for his driving. But like any young driver – he’s still more than 50 career wins away from passing Michael Schumacher on F1’s all-time list – there have been a few bumps along the way too. So what does Verstappen make of racing in an all-electric series when asked about such a possibility?
And thinks electric cars are the future
Rising star Max Verstappen has reiterated his belief that in time, Formula 1 will go electric. The 19-year-old Dutchman told Autosport magazine at a round of promotional events in Beijing and Shanghai that he definitely believes that at some point F1 will switch to an all-electric format. He said: I think it is more logical because you won’t have any problems with pushing like today, especially when it gets wet and cold. So I think it is going to happen. By default, F1 has been using a hybrid V6 turbo powertrain since 2014 with race fuel limited to 100kg per race for both 2017 and 2018 - with further restrictions expected for 2019 and beyond.
Where is Verstappen going?
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has joined Formula E, becoming a shareholder in Dutch-founded team DS Techeetah. Formula E is definitely an interesting championship and getting bigger, said Verstappen. The growth potential is really big—electric racing could be something quite mainstream in a few years from now. But fans of Red Bull Racing may be wondering why their star driver is ditching F1 for electric street cars after racking up three podiums and 15 top-ten finishes last year alone.
Renault! They make some great electric vehicles.
Renault! They make some great electric vehicles, including their very own line of Renault Zoes. And they’re actually cheaper than their fossil fuel-powered equivalents. The thing is: they’re not marketed well enough, in my opinion—I think part of that has to do with how new they are on a mass scale (there just aren’t many yet!). But when you consider that driving an EV produces zero emissions and costs less, it becomes an easy choice for your next vehicle purchase. To put it another way: I can’t imagine a better choice for F1 champion Verstappen than a Renault Zoe!
And many more...
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has warned that Formula 1 drivers need to be realistic about their choice of car when they graduate to top-line racing. Although motorsport in general is often viewed as a fast track to careers with supercar makers like Ferrari and Mercedes, he reckons his colleagues will have limited opportunities outside F1. We're not going to see many drivers coming from outside of F1, he told Red Bull's The Flying Lap podcast. Formula 1 is definitely where we'll get our experience in these top racecars. While some hopeful graduates from lower series do make it into endurance racing with top car makers, few stay long enough for it to become an option.
