Patrese: “Verstappen adapts better than anyone, he will be champion in 2026. Maybe Ferrari will surprise, and Hamilton is motivated…”

Revolution or restoration? Never before has the word “revolution” been used in Formula 1 news like this year. In fact, the 2026 cars will change their skin and nature, and all aspects of the car will be involved in this process. This does not mean that teams that occupied the lower bracket in 2025 should climb the hierarchy and start winning. Indeed, the case of 2022 teaches precisely the opposite: Red Bull confirmed itself on the top of the world with Max Verstappen and created the foundations for one of the most dominated championships in history, 2023. If the vast majority of observers give Mercedes the favourite, no one, however, excludes Red Bull. And the main reason is Verstappen himself, recognized as the best driver on the grid even though Lando Norris took the world championship scepter away from him. And according to Riccardo Patrese, it will be Super Max who will win the 2026 World Championship. Patrese’s words “Max is certainly the driver most ready to adapt to the new rules. He is perfectly at ease in this environment. He is always on the simulator, he works very well with all the controls. But he is not the only one, all the new generation drivers know how to do it. It is the team that then has to explain to them how to use them”, this is his comment on the BetVictor website. “For me, it will probably be Verstappen who wins the title.” The former Brabham, Benetton and Williams driver, however, considers Ferrari to be in contention: “Maybe they will surprise us! Lewis Hamilton has the motivation, he can be very competitive and return to fighting with Charles Leclerc. As things stand, however, I think Leclerc can demonstrate that he has more speed than Lewis.”