Jos Verstappen, Guenther Steiner dispute Max's criticism

A public dispute has erupted between Jos Verstappen and former Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner over Steiner's recent comments about the sincerity of Max Verstappen's criticisms of the sport's new regulations. The exchange follows Max Verstappen's first podium finish of the 2026 season, a third-place result at the Canadian Grand Prix behind Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.

Steiner, who left his role at Haas ahead of the 2024 season and is now involved with the Tech3 MotoGP team, suggested on a podcast that Verstappen's vocal dislike of the current rules is conditional on his competitive results. Steiner said Verstappen was happier after being on the podium in Canada, but argued that if he were winning, he would be really happy and would call the regulations the best ever.

Jos Verstappen responded swiftly on social media, writing directly to Steiner, "Hi Guenther. I understand why you not a F1 team boss anymore. The way you talk." The post garnered significant attention, receiving hundreds of thousands of views.

Max Verstappen has been openly critical of the 2026 technical regulations since details were released, initially comparing the proposed cars to "Formula E on...