As the wait to start the 2020 season goes on, former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone continues to inspire us with his opinions.
His latest words of wisdom revolve around two drivers he considers very highly, the first being Max Verstappen, the man he believes will take over from Lewis Hamilton as F1’s biggest star in the future.
However, in his latest comments on the Dutchman, Ecclestone is a little concerned the excitement he brought to F1 with his aggressive approach in his early years, could be tapering off.
“I met Max for the first time when he didn’t even have whiskers, but I could see that it has something special,” he told Germany’s Sport1.
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“Unfortunately, he has matured (laughs) and no longer provides so much entertainment, but he will win the World Championship at some point, just like [Charles] Leclerc.”
Then Bernie moved on to close friend Sebastian Vettel, stating his confidence that the Ferrari driver can rebound from the drop in performance he’s suffered over the past few years and even believes he still has multiple championships left in him
“Vettel is underestimated,” the 89-year-old declared. “He has the competitive gene that drivers used to have.
“I knew that when I saw him for the first time in Friday practice in Turkey in 2006 because I could see it in his eyes.
“Formula 1 needs a Sebastian who wins,” Ecclestone added. “He had a depression last year, but as I know him, there is no reason why Sebastian cannot go along with Lewis and match Michael Schumacher’s seven titles.
“As I said: people underestimate Sebastian.”