Verstappen defends technical purity and rejects the new “Mario Kart style” cars, Lewis instead embraces the spectacle by embracing the revolution: it is not just a challenge on the track, but a clash between two eras
In 2026 Formula 1 the drivers are divided into two parties as has rarely been seen: Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton leading the two grids. It’s not just a technical or sporting rivalry: it’s almost cultural. The first talks about “Mario Kart races”, the second says he has a lot of fun. Formula 1, with an irony that it rarely allows itself, responds by having fans dressed as Mario in the paddock. Of course, the fact that Max struggles a lot with his Red Bull and that Lewis has resurrected after the horrible 2025 is not irrelevant in forming their respective opinions. But the opposite is also true: form on the track can also be the consequence of a certain mental attitude.
