Ecclestone pens special note to Verstappen: ‘Best F1 driver I can remember’

The former F1 supremo, in his letter shared via F1 Insider, lauded the Red Bull Racing driver while also touching on the McLaren team resurgence, American president Donald Trump, and the 2026 campaign.

“This year marks 75 years since the start of Formula One," Ecclestone wrote.

“McLaren back to their old ways thanks to Zak [Brown]. Toto [Wolff] waking up and Lewis [Hamilton] suffering a bit with an uncompetitive team,” he added.

Looking further to 2026, Ecclestone added in his letter: “2026 will not be a peaceful year for Formula 1, and the world is also looking for peace. So take a few quids at the end of 2025. At 95 and with a five-year-old inquisitive son, I can't follow my own advice! Do your best at whatever you are doing,” he concluded.

Ecclestone, who was the founder of the Formula 1 Group, has often been vocal about several topical issues across the sport and only recently weighed in on McLaren’s bias towards Lando Norris.

Verstappen, on his part, recorded a remarkable 2025 season highlighted by the resurgence that he and the Red Bull Racing outfit put up in the drivers’ championship fight.

Verstappen was awarded the prize for the Action of the Year in the F1 category at the recent FIA Gala in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The four-time world champion’s overtaking move on Oscar Piastri earned him the prize ahead of Lando Norris and Oliver Bearman.

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