Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Bernie Ecclestone has made Max Verstappen one of only two drivers he believes can win the 2026 Formula 1 world championship, a sharp change from his pre-season warning that the new rules would hurt the Red Bull driver and leave Mercedes with the edge.
Speaking to Blick after four races, Ecclestone said “the season is still young,” but judged that “for now, Antonelli holds the momentum to extend his lead over Russell” before declaring: “Antonelli or Verstappen will be world champion.” For Verstappen, it was a notable endorsement from a figure who had previously argued the 2026 regulations would not suit his driving style and had pointed to George Russell as Mercedes’ main title hope if he could “demonstrate his killer instinct throughout the season to become champion.”
Ecclestone’s rethink appears tied to Red Bull’s uptick in Miami. He said the team was “much improved” there and believed it had recovered from its late-season slump. “Red Bull seems to have overcome its slump and Max has rediscovered his fire,” Ecclestone said. “And when he does that, he is dangerous.”
That optimism is far from universal. Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner gave the opposite verdict on The Red Flags podcast, dismissing Verstappen’s title hopes outright. “He is not a title candidate. No, absolutely not. I don’t even want to explain it. It’s simply not going to happen this year,” Steiner said.
The numbers after four rounds back up Steiner’s skepticism more than Ecclestone’s faith. Verstappen has 26 points, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli has already moved beyond 100, leaving Red Bull’s four-time champion with a major early deficit despite signs of progress from the car in Miami.
Against that backdrop, Red Bull has moved to shut down any wider doubts about Verstappen’s future. Laurent Mekies, a Red Bull team official, told AFP at the GP Historique de France at Paul Ricard that there is “not the slightest possibility” Verstappen will leave Formula 1 at the end of 2026. Mekies said Verstappen is “the heart of the project,” is involved in “all of our strategic decisions for the future,” and “will stay with us, whatever happens.”
That leaves Red Bull trying to turn improving form into results quickly enough for Ecclestone’s prediction to remain realistic, while Antonelli’s fast start and Verstappen’s 26-point tally give Steiner’s view plenty of weight in the championship fight.