Ecclestone responded to the concerns, arguing that while every regulation change brings a period of adjustment for fans, the 2026 changes could drive some fans away.<\/p>\n
“There will be confusion at the start of the season because everyone has to relearn Formula 1,” Ecclestone told Sport.de<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n “And the rules certainly don’t favour Max Verstappen and his style of racing. It\u2019s less about pure racing. But that\u2019s the direction of development: more regulations, more rules for the drivers\u2014don\u2019t do this, don\u2019t do that.”<\/p>\n George Russell, Mercedes George Russell, Mercedes<\/p>\n He added:\u00a0“[The DNA of F1 is] that it is a drivers’ world championship and not one for engineers. Formula 1 is now competing more with Formula E. Maybe the fans will like that, but I don\u2019t think so. The danger is that we lose the fans. I sincerely hope I\u2019m wrong.”<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n After keeping a close eye on pre-season testing, Ecclestone backed Mercedes<\/a> to be a championship contender.\u00a0“Mercedes is in the lead,” he said. “Russell has the ability, but he must demonstrate that killer instinct consistently throughout the entire season.<\/p>\n “A team with Mercedes power units has a great chance of winning the world championship,” he continued, before adding:\u00a0“Watch out for Ferrari<\/a>!\u00a0I hope Ferrari has a say in the title race. It would be good for Formula 1 if Ferrari becomes world champion.”<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/76b706fe7d3071f9452890e2e668ab19.jpeg\"\/)
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