F1: Vettel speaks out on new regulations and points to favorite driver

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has indicated who he says is the number one favorite to win the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship. The rule change has reshuffled the cards in the premier class of engines, and the first winter tests have provided some clues as to who is the team currently ahead for the title.

Many point to Mercedes as the favorite, and Vettel is among them: “I see George Russell and Mercedes as world champions at the end of the season,” the former German driver sentenced to the microphones of Servus TV.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen expressed their misgivings about the new regulations: according to the British driver, F1 is losing the spirit of racing, while the Dutchman likened it to a ‘Formula E on steroids.’ Vettel is not so negative: “There are already a lot of changes, a lot of novelties. The first impression was definitely exciting.”

“F1 has to convey excitement, but it has to think about how to do it in a sustainable way, because a gasoline party every two weeks is not good. From a driver’s point of view, you want the cars to be fast and aggressive. You want to be able to push and not be so busy pushing buttons or getting stuck in some mode and switching between meetings. But that’s modern Formula 1.”

Vettel hopes that the DNA of racing is not lost, and that the rules are not too complicated for spectators as well: “If it’s too complicated from the driver’s point of view, or it’s just not as exciting as before, then that is passed on then to the audience. F1 has to give that feeling of incredibly beautiful cars to drive, with drivers who give the image of real heroes who can tame these cars.”

“But if the driver no longer conveys that feeling, because the car could be driven by a chef and it’s boring, then it’s not good for the sport.”