{"id":419958,"date":"2026-01-17T22:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T22:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/419958\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T22:22:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T22:22:09","slug":"verstappen-issued-hamilton-warning-ahead-of-2026-f1-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/419958\/","title":{"rendered":"Verstappen issued Hamilton warning ahead of 2026 F1 Regulations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Johnny Herbert<\/a> has expressed uncertainty over Max Verstappen<\/a> being the main protagonist in Formula 1<\/a> come the start of the new regulations.”There is always a chance that you don’t quite fit a new car.\u201d- Johnny HerbertThe former F1<\/a> driver and steward, in his assessment, stressed there is a chance that the Dutchman\u2019s magic might not be so prevalent in the new cars.”There is always a chance that you don’t quite fit a new car. Max Verstappen<\/a> is only human. Yes, he’s the best on the grid at this current time, but it doesn’t always mean he’s the fastest on the race track,\u201d Herbert said to a gambling platform.Referencing the dip that Lewis Hamilton<\/a> experienced during the ground-effect era, Herbert stated there is a chance the new regulations could favour specific types of drivers.\"verstappen-hadjar-red-bull-launch\"\/<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar at the Red Bull livery launch – Photo: GPblog<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s down to the performance of the car, or if you don’t fit the car. Like with Lewis Hamilton<\/a> last year, he didn’t fit his car and lost his speed. There is a chance that new regulations could favour a certain type of driver. Lando Norris<\/a> could benefit from the new car and grow even more as a driver, similar to Max after 2021,\u201d he added.However, the former F1<\/a> steward also noted that regulations could help drivers mature and become more well-rounded if the car suits their style. Herbert also stated there remains a chance of the regulations still favouring Verstappen, considering the massive driver input that will characterise the 2026 cars.\"isack-hadjar-max-verstappen-red-bull-jpg\"\/<\/p>\n

Photo: GPblog<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s always a chance of a driver maturing and becoming more complete if a new car suits their style. Can I see the new regulations not benefiting Max? Yes, because there is a human element to Formula One, there are inconsistencies, and the best drivers try to reduce those inconsistencies,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe likes of Max, Lewis, and Lando will have to adapt this year, and external influences can affect the championship,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Verstappen delivers verdict on 2026 regulationsEarlier, Verstappen weighed in on the regulation changes Formula 1 has undergone<\/a>. The Dutch driver predicted a wider gap within the field at the start of the regulations.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old, however, expressed optimism about such a gap closing relatively quickly compared to previous regulation changes.<\/p>\n

Catch up with GPBlog\u2019s latest Paddock Update<\/p>\n

As the commencement of the 2026 season draws nearer, our Paddock Update is the place to be.<\/p>\n

Follow and subscribe to our channels on YouTube and Spotify to stay up to date with all the happenings as they unfold, ahead of the first on-track action under the new Formula 1<\/a> regulations.<\/p>\n

Check out the latest episode of our Paddock Update here \ud83d\udc47<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Johnny Herbert has expressed uncertainty over Max Verstappen being the main protagonist in Formula 1 come the start…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367388,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,35119,813,816,46379,1737,823,825,913,946,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-419958","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-f1-news","12":"tag-formula-1","13":"tag-formula1","14":"tag-johnny-herbert","15":"tag-lando-norris","16":"tag-lewis-hamilton","17":"tag-max-verstappen","18":"tag-mclaren","19":"tag-red-bull-racing","20":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}