George Russell of Mercedes said drivers can be “quite selfish” in wanting only the most enjoyable cars to drive. He added that the era of V10 engines — through the 1990s until the mid-2000s, seen by many Formula 1 die-hards as the golden age — was flawed.

“The races were boring. And there’s no overtaking. And there weren’t as many fans following the sport,” he told reporters. “And the fans are loving the racing at the moment.”

Nikolas Tombazis, the single-seater boss for the FIA, the sport’s governing body, said F1 is balancing competing considerations.

“This sport is quite special because it’s got a lot of stakeholders. Obviously, drivers are very big, important one. They are the best drivers in the world,” he said in an interview. “But we have to always remember that we have some big automotive companies spending millions and maybe billions to be in the sport, and that it is important to hear their voice. They want to be relevant to their products that they have on the road.”

“And additionally, we rely on many, many millions of fans around the world — and thankfully also in the United States in the last few years — who also want to see exciting races,” he added. “And to keep the balance between those factors is not always easy, and it’s part of the process of devising regulations with all our stakeholders involved.”

While Verstappen was winning — if not outright dominating — in the previous generation of cars, it is Mercedes that built the strongest machine at the outset of the new regulations.

“I can’t complain too much, to be fair,” said Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Mercedes prodigy who is leading the championship. He said the lighter and more agile design “was a really good step forward and the car just feels more alive.”

NBC News asked a half dozen drivers what their favorite and least favorite things are about the new regulations.

“I still get to call myself an F1 driver. That’s always a cool thing to say,” McLaren’s Oscar Piastri deadpanned as he struggled to find anything positive to say about the new regulations.