Bernie Ecclestone predicts why F1’s new 2026 rules won’t ‘favour’ Max Verstappen this season

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Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes that the sport’s new regulations won’t ‘favour’ Red Bull driver Max Verstappen because they’re ‘less about racing’.

Max Verstappen hasn’t hidden his feelings about Formula 1’s changing regulations this year.

The Red Bull driver compared F1’s new cars to Formula E, with an added emphasis on battery recharging and drivers slowing down at the end of long straights due to the constraints of the new power units.

Has Bernie Ecclestone just pinpointed why George Russell WON’T win the title this season?

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Ted Kravitz spotted Verstappen perfecting a new technique that drivers will need to use in heavy braking zones to recharge their batteries as quickly and as often as possible.

However, there are already suggestions that qualifying laps won’t be driven flat out, and circuits such as Melbourne will require energy management that isn’t in the essence of Formula 1’s DNA.

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Bernie Ecclestone makes Max Verstappen and Ferrari predictions for the 2026 F1 season

Very few people know more about the world of Formula 1 than Bernie Ecclestone, having been involved in the sport since the 1950s.

The former Formula One Group CEO spoke to sport.de in the build-up to this season and said: “Watch out, Ferrari! I hope Ferrari has a say in the matter. It would be good for Formula 1 if Ferrari became world champion.”

The former F1 supremo spoke about Lewis Hamilton and how he ‘doesn’t want to give up, doesn’t want to stop without achieving that. Maybe it will work out this year. That would be a nice story.’

When speaking about Verstappen, Ecclestone explained: “There will be confusion at the start of the season because everyone has to relearn Formula 1.

“And the rules certainly don’t favour Max Verstappen and his way of driving Formula 1.

“It’s less about racing. But that’s how things are developing: even more regulations, even more rules for the drivers, don’t do this, don’t do that.

“Formula 1 is now competing more with Formula E. Maybe the fans like that, but I don’t think so. The danger is that we will lose the fans. I really hope I’m wrong.”

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Max Verstappen’s relationship with Gianpiero Lambiase could counter Bernie Ecclestone’s fears

One of the most important aspects of the new regulations is going to be the timing of when to recharge and deploy the energy being stored in the battery.

On some circuits, recharging the battery over the course of a lap is going to be extremely difficult, and that’s where the race engineers come in.

Gianpiero Lambiase has played a crucial role in Verstappen’s career, ever since he supported him on his Red Bull debut when he went on to take a miraculous victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

Lambiase and Verstappen are incredibly direct over the team radio, but clearly have a very good relationship and understand each other well.

The likes of Aston Martin were linked with signing Lambiase over the winter break, as it had been suggested that Adrian Newey saw him as a natural successor to him in the team principal role should he want to concentrate more on his design efforts.

Not taking up that position appears to have been a strong decision from Lambiase, given their struggles in pre-season, but with Ecclestone worried that F1 will be less about racing this year, the 45-year-old is the perfect person to guide Verstappen through a Grand Prix.

He understands better than anyone what Verstappen is capable of, while Red Bull have been class leaders for some time in the paddock when it comes to in-race strategy calls.