Formula E driver’s childish Max Verstappen response shows its backbone problem

I am going to preface this opinion column by coming straight off the bat and stating that I have no great interest in Formula E. Fundamentally, I don’t believe EVs are the way forward in the motoring industry when eco-fuels allowing longer lifespans out of already-constructed internal combustion engines is a far more sustainable practice than battery production.

That said, Formula E has established its right to exist in the motorsport landscape, growing from electric oddity seen as nothing more than a sanctuary for ousted Formula 1 drivers in its first campaign in 2014/2015, to something with world championship pedigree.

It has also retained a strong manufacturer presence. Porsche, for example, prioritised its Formula E project over returning to the FIA World Endurance Championship and a chance at outright 24 Hours of Le Mans honours this year.

Sure, the series has lost some big names in recent years, like Mercedes, while McLaren has shuttered its project in order to focus on its impending WEC debut in the top class in 2027 alongside its F1 and IndyCar campaigns.

Formula E also remains popular among fans. It boasted a 13% increase in its fanbase last season, while claiming a TV audience growth of 14% to 561 million. These numbers are always to be taken with enough salt to satisfy a horse, because how these things are measured are generally inflated anyway.

The series has a solid social media reach of 1.3m followers on Instagram, though that is still a way off the 1.9m World Superbikes has, for example, while sitting about level with the FIA WEC. F1, by contrast, has just shy of 41m followers.

Formula E has never moved to position itself as a rival to F1. It’s always done things differently, right down to its race formats and the fact that it’s largely a street-based series. If anything, F1’s greater push for more street circuits in recent times could be seen as an imitation.

Despite its push to do its own thing, Formula E has never really escaped the butt of jokes, nor the crosshairs of those wishing to disparage something by comparing it to the electric single-seater series.

Several F1 drivers have likened 2026 cars to Formula E in a negative way

F1’s radical rules overhaul for 2026 has brought with it far more technical cars for the drivers to get their heads around, largely due to the power units having a 50/50 split between electric and internal combustion.

This winter, we’ve already heard much about lift-and-coast, which is due to be something that will happen even in qualifying now. Williams’ Alex Albon noted on Thursday during the Bahrain test that understanding the deployment of the new power units has been his biggest headache so far, having missed vital track time at the Barcelona shakedown.

Prior to testing, Mercedes’ George Russell remarked: “I think that was a question I had going into the test, whether it would be like Formula E, where you need an engineer to drive the car and not a driver.”

On Thursday at the Bahrain test, four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen ripped into the 2026 cars, declaring them as “anti-racing” and “Formula E on steroids”.

It was an unnecessary statement deliberately delivered for maximum shock factor. But Verstappen has never really been one to mince his words, and for that, he must be respected. Nor should drivers be gagged from saying anything negative.

But it’s not exactly a good look for the FIA when superstars from its flagship championship are using arguably one of its other two or three most prominent series as a punching bag. Certainly, Formula E won’t be happy with it.

Yet, the response (so far, anyway, at the time of publishing) has been nonexistent from the series. There has been some kickback, but the response has come across as more childish than meaningful.

The Cupra team posted a mock wanted poster on its social media channels, tagged as ‘crimes against Formula E’ above a picture of Verstappen, with a caption reading: “If suffering from an identity crisis, step into the future properly. Come and give Formula E a go. Same intensity, closer racing, no steroids required.”

For a team with just under 50,000 followers on Instagram, it’s a good way to generate some social engagement. But that is fleeting when one of racing’s biggest stars is unlikely to backtrack on his comments, and thus remains the authoritative voice in this situation.

The 2016/2017 champion, Lucas di Grassi’s, response on X (formerly, and still more popularly, Twitter) on Thursday evening was also meek, given his general status as the series’ staunchest defender.

“Formula E cars Gen 4.5 & [Gen] 5 will be way faster than current F1 cars. You can come and drive the fastest cars on the planet in a few years,” he wrote.

It was a playground response from a driver who hasn’t been afraid in the past to be openly critical of F1 drivers who have thrown some punches on Formula E’s direction. In 2021, when four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel said he had no desire to race in Formula E after his F1 career because he didn’t “want to be a mascot and I don’t want to put my face forward for something that doesn’t fully convince me”, Di Grassi’s response was strong.

“To say that the technology of the cars is less relevant to the future of automobiles…. [he] either has no idea of what he is talking about or is trying to mislead the general public on purpose,” Di Grassi said.

“And/or all that green stuff he has been doing lately - collecting trash, riding bicycles, etc. - is completely greenwashing, not what he truly believes. So, whatever [whether] he likes or not the series, he should be supportive of it. That's all.”

Formula E itself may not want to dignify Verstappen’s comments with a response. But with it trying to generate buzz around its Jeddah round this weekend, as well as its influencer-focused Evo event, it can’t really go on as if nothing happened.

Perhaps the FIA will intervene to stop drivers in their sanctioned championships from openly criticising sister series. Clamping down on free speech, however, definitely shouldn’t be the go-to outcome.

Ultimately, if Formula E wants to gain greater respect within the landscape, it must have enough respect for itself, its teams and its drivers to speak out and defend its championship…