The 2026 Formula 1 regulations will present a new challenge to the drivers, who will have to adapt and approach racing in a different way than they have become used to.
In 2026, and aside from new chassis rules, F1 enters a new era in terms of power units, which will remain V6 turbo-hybrids but without the MGU-H, while power will be delivered equally from the internal combustion engine and the electric component.
Drivers will have to get used to Overtake and Boost modes as they attempt to overtake, defend, or even chase the best lap time.
This will require quite some adapting, as drivers will have to race smart, not only hard.
And the best driver to do so is Verstappen, according to former F1 driver and six-time grand prix winner Riccardo Patrese.
“Max Verstappen is for sure best suited to adapt to the new regulations. He is at home in this environment,” he said. “He is always in the simulator; he works very well with all the buttons!
“He is not the only one, though. All the new generation of drivers know how to do this. The team that then has to tell them how to use these buttons, because I think in a lap, from what I understand, there are many things that are going to happen.
“There will be full power, then the electric goes away, and then only the thermic stays.
“One thing is for sure: if we thought that Formula 1 for a normal person was complicated to understand, now it’s doubly more complicated!
“I don’t like it all, because sometimes for a normal person it’s impossible to understand what’s going on,” Patrese admitted.
With the initial testing in Barcelona done, Mercedes look strong while McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull look decent with no clear idea about the pecking order.
But Patrese ventured and tried to predict a champion; he said: “Max Verstappen is probably the guy who will be champion.
“Maybe Ferrari will surprise us! Lewis Hamilton, I think, has the motivation, and he can be very competitive and come back to fight Charles Leclerc in the team.