Max Verstappen never competed in Formula 4 before reaching Formula 1, and the four-time world champion considers that a fortunate career decision. Speaking candidly alongside Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto, the Red Bull Racing star has dismissed the junior category as inadequate preparation for professional motorsport. Instead, Verstappen advocates for aspiring racers to invest an additional year mastering gear-shifting techniques in karting before progressing to higher formulas. His perspective challenges the conventional pathway that has become standard for nearly every young driver entering single-seater competition since 2014.
The case for gearbox karting over early car racing
Verstappen outlined his reasoning during an interview with Pelas Pistas, emphasizing the technical foundation that gearbox karts provide. The Dutchman believes drivers gain crucial mechanical understanding by learning how transmissions respond under varying conditions before transitioning to cars.
“When they haven’t started in car racing yet, I always advise everyone to do that final year in karting with a gearbox kart,” Verstappen explained. “Then you learn how a gearbox works—when it’s dry, when it’s wet, at the start, while defending, while attacking, how it works together with brake balance.”
The Red Bull driver’s own route through motorsport bypassed Formula 4 entirely, jumping directly from karting to Formula 3 competition. He credits this unconventional progression with giving him superior command over gear management compared to drivers who followed the now-standard route through F4.
Verstappen noted that karts behave differently at high and low revolutions, similar to racing cars. Understanding these dynamics in a karting environment allows drivers to anticipate how balance shifts will affect their machinery once they graduate to single-seaters. Many young competitors arrive in car racing frantically working through gears without comprehending the underlying mechanical principles, according to the world champion.
Industry veteran echoes Verstappen’s criticism
Bortoleto revealed that he received identical advice from Giancarlo Tinini, one of the founders of CRG—the karting manufacturer that supported both the Brazilian and Verstappen during their respective karting careers. Tinini’s guidance to the Sauber rookie was blunt and memorable.
“He always told me that Formula 4 was bullshit,” Bortoleto recalled during the conversation.
Verstappen immediately endorsed that assessment, suggesting the category fails to deliver meaningful skill development. The gap between karting and FIA Formula 3 has widened considerably as the latter category’s machinery has become substantially faster in recent years. This evolution makes the direct jump too challenging for most drivers without intermediate preparation—but Verstappen believes Formula 4 provides the wrong kind of intermediate step.
Why Formula Regional offers better preparation
The four-time champion specifically recommended Formula Regional European championship as the appropriate entry point into car racing for talented karters. The category sits between Formula 4 and FIA Formula 3 in the established ladder system, but Verstappen argues its performance characteristics make it far more valuable than F4.
“I think going straight from karting to FIA Formula 3 has become too big a step, because those cars are genuinely fast nowadays,” Verstappen acknowledged. “But if you do one year of gearbox karts, then you can skip F4 afterwards. I really think that’s a poor car. You should go straight to FRECA. Those go fast enough that you start understanding what a racing car actually involves. Formula 4 is too basic.”
The technical simplicity that makes F4 accessible also renders it insufficient for serious driver development, in Verstappen’s view. Formula Regional machinery demands genuine skill to extract performance while teaching racecraft at speeds that translate more directly to higher categories like Formula 3 and eventually Formula 2.
Since the FIA established Formula 4 in 2014, the category has expanded into numerous national championships across Italy, Great Britain, France, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Spain, and Brazil. Nearly every contemporary junior driver follows the progression through F4, Formula Regional, F3, and F2 before potentially reaching Formula 1. Verstappen’s comments suggest this standardized pathway may not serve talent development as effectively as alternative routes.
What this means for aspiring Formula 1 drivers
Verstappen’s perspective carries significant weight given his status as the sport’s dominant driver over the past four seasons. His unconventional route to Formula 1 produced arguably the most complete driver of his generation, lending credibility to his recommendations for young competitors.
The practical implications remain complex, however. Most junior drivers lack the resources or connections to bypass established categories, and FIA Super Licence points requirements incentivize participation in sanctioned championships including Formula 4. Teams and sponsors also expect drivers to prove themselves through conventional progression rather than attempting unorthodox career paths.
Nevertheless, families with greater flexibility in planning their children’s careers now have a template from motorsport’s most successful active driver. Investing additional time in gearbox karting rather than rushing into Formula 4 could provide technical foundations that pay dividends throughout a driver’s career—assuming they can navigate the logistical and regulatory challenges of skipping an entire category on the established ladder.
