Why the world champ is wrong about front-drive cars
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen holds a particular disdain for a certain type of cars but his argument against them doesn’t quite stack up.
COMMENT: Max Verstappen is the best driver in the world.
But that doesn’t mean he is always right.
The Red Bull Formula 1 star recently starred in a video alongside British motoring journalist Chris Harris, driving Ford’s supercharged Mustang GTD.
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The pair talk about driving techniques, the finer points of racing, and how Formula 1 has evolved.
They also talk about road cars, and one point divided car enthusiasts – Max’s stance on front-wheel-drive cars.
Harris asks Verstappen if he likes front-wheel-drive models – a type of vehicle that includes the Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf GTI, and the F1 ace was clear in his response.
“I think it’s really boring,” Verstappen said.
“For me, it’s like anti-driving … it’s like the worst thing ever.”
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Harris agreed, and described the layout as “wrong-wheel-drive”.
Supercars and racing cars with enormous power outputs and astronomical prices are almost exclusively rear-wheel-drive, with some four-wheel-drive exceptions.
Most budget cars are front wheel-drive.
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Cars like the Mini Cooper, VW Golf, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla send drive to the front wheels, because it’s cheaper and easier to build a car that way.
Car makers don’t need to buy extra parts, and they don’t need to make space for differentials and driveshafts in the back of the car.
Most front-wheel-drive cars don’t have stacks of power, so they don’t need to distribute their torque across four tyres.
All-wheel-drive can be vital in slippery conditions such as ice, snow or mud.
But it isn’t necessary for most people, most of the time.
As for Verstappen’s take that it represents anti-driving?
My experience is wildly different.
I’m lucky enough to test-drive most new cars that go on sale in Australia, from Peugeots to Porsches, or Fiats to Ferraris.
Yes, most front-wheel-drive cars are not designed to thrill drivers.
But some of them are, and they’re capable of delivering driver satisfaction in a manner that much more expensive cars struggle to match.
Hand-on-heart, I’ve had more fun in front-drive, manual hot hatchbacks than I have in $500,000 supercars – both on the road and the track.
A great hot hatch is a joyous thing.
They’re far more relevant than overpowered exotics in the real world. It’s much more fun to hustle s slow car than to be frustrated in a 500kW exotic, especially if you don’t have access to an F1 car on weekends.
Cars like the Ford Fiesta ST and Hyundai i30 N will make you laugh out loud.
And if you learn to carry corner speed and master the art of weight transfer, a great front-wheel-drive machine will leave you cackling with delight.
I’ve owned one for 10 years.
My Renault Megane RS is a brilliant machine.
I’ve taken it on track more than 50 times at places like Albert Park – home of the Australian Grand Prix – and Mount Panorama, home of the Bathurst 1000.
The front-wheel-drive Megane will dance on its tiptoes, slide through corners like a rally car, and even spin out of control if you’re not careful.
It’s a brilliant car. And having tested more than 1000 cars as a motoring writer, I can tell you that it is a long way removed from being “the worst thing ever”, and certainly doesn’t represent “anti-driving”.
Of course, I’m not a Formula 1 driver. But neither are you, and together, we’ll be just fine if we choose front-wheel-drive cars.
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