Has the world championship fight in Formula 1 already been decided this year? Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone doesn’t think so quickly. A reinvigorated Mercedes team could still steal important World Cup counters from the “bulls” and thus provide Ferrari with support in the World Cup fight.
The starting position seems clearly defined: Red Bull rushes from victory to victory. Most recently, Max Verstappen underpinned his ambitions of defending the title in Canada with his sixth win in the ninth race of the season. So are we threatened with a post-summer formula yawn?
F1 veteran Bernie Ecclestone still has hope it could remain exciting. “Yes, the gap is big, but we’re only halfway through the season, so there’s no reason why the gap shouldn’t fall back to the start of the season,” he said in an exclusive RTL/ntv interview with reporter Felix brat
It is very easy for Ferrari to catch up. “It depends on how Mercedes gets together. If they get lucky again and Red Bull steal a few points and Ferrari performs well again at the same time, then the gap suddenly changes,” says the Brit.
But he would not put his money on Ferrari, Ecclestone remains in the RTL conversation. His simple advice to all bettors: Take all your money and bet it on Max. “Because he’s going to win the championship. Probably.”
Verstappen as serial winner?
Red Bull is just good and Verstappen himself is “very, very good,” says Ecclestone. “His last ride was fantastic as he won the race. He would have to be very unlucky now if he doesn’t win the championship.”
He considers it a realistic scenario that Max Verstappen, like Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton, would become a series winner.
“In all of these things, an awful lot depends on the opponents. Mercedes was a little happy that they won all the competitions because they didn’t have a lot of competition,” analyzes the 91-year-old.
Mercedes complains too much
Despite the bad start to the season, he believes the Silver Arrows will soon be able to win races again. “You just need a bit of luck.” But: “I would like them to stop complaining that the regulations are against them and for others,” he says, referring to the bouncing bickering in the paddock. Regulations are regulations and you build the cars to these regulations. “If you do something wrong, it’s wrong. If you build a car and it comes out of the pits, it’s either a winner or just a competitive car.”
The many Mercedes complaints about bouncing annoy Ecclestone. “They try to influence the regulations, but they know what needs to be done.” The ex-F1 boss describes what the racing team could do, but is apparently not willing to implement. “They could stop that, but then they wouldn’t be as competitive. They just have to drive the car higher. It definitely wouldn’t make them as competitive, but it would certainly fix their problems. They know exactly what to do. They but don’t want to do what needs to be done.”
Most recently, Mercedes hardly had any problems with bouncing in Montreal, and updates have also been announced for the home race at Silverstone. Maybe the silver-Schützenhilfe will start earlier than expected.