Max Verstappen: ‘Half the Formula 1 field will be disqualified.’ – Disqualification is supposed to be a rarity in Formula 1; it is the ultimate sanction, reserved for clear and significant breaches of the technical regulations. Yet the 2025 Grand Prix season saw an unusual trend emerge: five post-race disqualifications across just two events. This has sparked debate within the paddock, with four-time world champion Max Verstappen now offering his typically candid opinion.

Formula 1 prides itself on precision and compliance, but, according to Verstappen, the line between legal and illegal has never been thinner. In an era where teams relentlessly chase marginal gains, he believes it is almost inevitable that cars will occasionally stray beyond what the rulebook allows.

 

 

A season marked by rare disqualifications

The 2025 season saw five drivers excluded after Grands Prix, which is an unusually high number by modern standards. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari suffered a double blow when Lewis Hamilton was disqualified for excessive floor wear and Charles Leclerc was excluded for his car being under the minimum weight. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was also disqualified in China for the same infringement.

Later in the season, the Las Vegas Grand Prix produced two more high-profile cases. McLaren’s Lando Norris was disqualified due to excessive floor wear, while his teammate Oscar Piastri was excluded after his plank was found to be too worn. These incidents not only reshaped the race results, but also had wider implications for the championship.

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Verstappen: pushing the limits is unavoidable

Speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen admitted that the disqualifications of McLaren drivers in Las Vegas had a significant impact on the title battle. He described the situation as an “early Christmas present” for himself, noting that, without the disqualifications, the Drivers’ Championship would probably not have been decided until the final race in Abu Dhabi.

However, Verstappen was quick to place the issue in a broader context. According to the 28-year-old, pushing the boundaries is simply part of Formula 1’s DNA. Teams are constantly operating at the edge of legality, and it is not possible to check every detail after every race. “Sometimes you get away with it,” he explained, because inspections are selective rather than comprehensive.

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Verstappen: “Half the field would be disqualified.”

Verstappen’s most striking comment concerned the FIA’s current inspection process. He stated that if every car were fully examined after every race, ‘half the Formula 1 field would be disqualified’. In his view, the existing system of random sampling allows some infringements to slip through while catching others due to circumstance rather than intent.

Despite this criticism, Verstappen does not advocate leniency. He would prefer more consistent and thorough checks, believing that constant scrutiny would reduce the number of non-compliant cars over time. That said, he also acknowledged the practical limitations.

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How FIA checks currently work

Under current procedures, the FIA typically inspects the top six finishers after each race, along with a small number of randomly selected cars. All classified cars are weighed to ensure compliance with minimum weight rules. Additional checks focus on floor wear, fuel composition, and the flexibility or mobility of components such as wings, floors, and sidepods.

Verstappen accepts that inspecting every car in full would require significant resources and time. For now, the rules are the rules, and Formula 1 is likely to continue with its existing system — even if that means the occasional headline-grabbing disqualification.

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NEXT ARTICLE: Contract bombshell for Lewis Hamilton, new details leaked in the German press

Fresh revelations surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s future at Ferrari have rocked Formula 1, with new reports suggesting his contract with the Scuderia is significantly longer than initially assumed. According to Bild, the seven-time world champion is secured not only for the upcoming regulatory era, but also for a period well beyond 2026.

The German publication claims that Hamilton’s Ferrari deal runs until at least the end of the 2027 Formula 1 season. Even more intriguingly, the contract reportedly includes a unilateral option that would allow Hamilton to extend his stay by a further year, potentially keeping him at Ferrari until the end of 2028.

 

Hamilton’s clause

If he activates this clause, he will be 43 years old when the agreement expires. This information from BILD contrasts sharply with the widespread belief that Hamilton’s commitment to Ferrari would end in 2026, when the new engine regulations come into effect.

Neither Hamilton nor Ferrari has publicly confirmed the precise duration of the contract. When the blockbuster move was officially announced in February 2024, both parties described it only as a ‘multi-year’ agreement, leaving room…READ MORE