The two-time world champion has been left far from impressed about his first experience of the future engine and car rules during trials on the Red Bull simulator.
Speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix about the situation regarding 2026, Verstappen offered some insight into his own mindset about what would be a better direction for F1.
And he reckoned that a return to full reliance on a combustion engine, plus lighter cars and smaller wheels, would be a massive step forward in his opinion.
"These [current] cars are, of course, incredibly fast," he said. "I still enjoyed the 2020 and 2021 cars. They were a bit more agile and more fun, but also they were very heavy.
"I would definitely get rid of the hybrid. I think all the time, when I jump back in a V8, I am always so surprised at how smooth the engine is. The top speed is slow compared to what we have now, but it's just the pickup of the engine and the torque.
"It's so smooth the whole delivery process: the downshift, and the upshifts. It's so much more natural to what we have."
Beyond the engines, Verstappen thinks that car weight is something that needs urgent addressing, although he accepted that going back to cars that weigh around 550kg would now be impossible because of safety demands.
"Of course, the safety standards, they have to go up and they have to improve. That is why the cars are getting heavier and heavier, to basically make the chassis stronger, all these kinds of things. So that naturally has a blame.
Source: Autosport