Umberto Zapelloni: Ferrari return to competitiveness could open door for Max Verstappen. Italian F1 journalist Umberto Zapelloni analyzes Mercedes’ dominance, Ferrari’s progress.

In the landscape of Italian motorsport journalism, Umberto Zapelloni is one of the most authoritative and recognizable voices in Formula 1. With a career spanning decades, he served as editor of Autosprint and closely followed some of the most iconic eras in motorsport, directly witnessing and reporting on the technical, political, and sporting evolution of the category.

Thanks to his experience and analytical ability, Umberto Zapelloni has become a key reference point for understanding the deeper dynamics of modern Formula 1: not only race results, but also the balance between teams, drivers, and regulations. In this interview, we discuss the hottest topics of the current season: from Mercedes’ dominance to the prospects of young talents like Antonelli, the situation at Ferrari, the challenges of the new regulations, and the increasingly central role of Max Verstappen within the paddock. A conversation that offers a clear and in-depth look at a constantly evolving Formula 1.

Is the championship already decided?

Let’s start with a slightly provocative question: so far we have seen three Mercedes victories and an almost unmatched level of performance on track. So I ask you whether the championship is already decided, at least in terms of power unit performance, not necessarily as a team.

Everything seems to be heading in that direction. The Mercedes engine advantage is certainly significant and, even though there will be opportunities this year to intervene and improve performance, the suspicion is that Mercedes has still kept a margin in hand, without showing its full potential in the early races of the season.

So I believe that, barring a revolution—which at the moment seems difficult to imagine—it will be a Mercedes power unit, and probably Mercedes itself, that will win the World Championship. Even if McLaren, in the last race, seems to have found the “instruction manual” that Mercedes apparently forgot to send to its customer team.

Antonelli’s rise and title potential

Yes, McLaren’s latest race was at least surprising, especially considering the limited mileage completed up to that point. Mercedes has Kimi Antonelli, already with two wins at the start of the season. In Italy there is a lot of talk about him and his potential for a possible world championship. But I ask you: last year Piastri, at a certain point in the season, also looked like a more serious and convincing title contender than Lando Norris.

There is a difference between winning races early or mid-season and actually fighting for a title. Kimi Antonelli, for example, started his season with a crash in Australia. So the question is: is Antonelli ready or not?

Antonelli is ready. He is ready because he has the speed and the freedom of not being under pressure to win the World Championship, unlike his teammate, who instead carries that pressure as Mercedes’ lead driver.

He has shown that he does not collapse under difficulties: both of his victories did not start in the best possible way. Even in the latest race he had a disastrous start, but he was able to take advantage of opportunities. He seems to have maintained the right composure, without getting discouraged, always recovering positions.

In addition, he now appears to have a level of confidence that last year, at a certain point, he seemed to lose. His first victory may have fully unlocked him. I see him as a serious contender to fight until the end, both with his teammate and with McLaren.

Ferrari’s project and development path

We also saw Russell, who in the last weekend at Suzuka somewhat lost his way, perhaps searching for a setup that ultimately sent him off track. We have not yet talked about Ferrari, which seems to have got its project right: the car is good, the drivers are happy, but at the moment it is paying a performance gap in terms of engine power.

There is talk of a new engine possibly arriving in the summer, but in the meantime there are still months of racing ahead. What do you think of Ferrari’s start to the season? And should this project be evaluated over multiple years?

Ferrari has started better than feared. During the winter there were worrying rumors coming from Maranello, but instead the car immediately proved to be reliable and competitive, although not yet at Mercedes’ level. And that is exactly where the gap needs to be closed.

If Ferrari manages to return to championship contention, we could say that the management has achieved its objective, considering that the president spoke about a world title by 2026. Getting back into the fight would mean the chosen direction is correct and the organization works.

The real benchmark will be development: if during this break they manage to reduce the gap, then we can say the management is effective. If instead Ferrari remains far from Mercedes, doubts will arise.

Ferrari cannot afford to race to finish second: it must return to fighting for the title, to be a protagonist until the final race, as in the past. The final judgment will only come by evaluating the effectiveness of the SF-26 upgrades.

Aerodynamics and regulations debate

Ferrari also seems very aggressive from an aerodynamic point of view. It almost looks like they are aware of the engine deficit and are trying to compensate with creative solutions. Could this be the right approach?

With these regulations, it seems that the power unit side—especially energy recovery—plays a fundamental role. Mercedes’ advantage is mainly there, although it must also be said that their aerodynamics is very effective, as seen in cornering performance.

Ferrari’s package needs global improvement: internal combustion engine, electric components, energy recovery, and aerodynamics, which allows greater efficiency and cornering performance. Aerodynamics remains fundamental.

Are modern F1 races more entertaining?

These new regulations have sparked a lot of debate. Do you think races are really more entertaining, or are overtakes mainly driven by power unit differences?

I have described them as “artificial overtakes”. They happen because one driver has more energy available or has managed it better, not because they have braked later or taken more risk.

This increases the spectacle, but risks turning Formula 1 into something closer to wrestling than boxing: entertaining, but different from what fans originally fell in love with.

The biggest issue is qualifying: we see drivers slowing down to recover energy, and even great specialists like Leclerc are no longer able to make the difference. I hope a solution is found, because too much weight has been given to the electric component compared to pure driving skill.

Verstappen’s role and future

The final questions are about Verstappen. Red Bull seems not to have nailed the current project, and he is increasingly enjoying himself in other categories. I am not asking whether he will retire, but what role does Verstappen have in Formula 1 today?

Verstappen has changed especially in the season when he lost the championship: there we saw the driver making the difference over the car. This year, however, Red Bull is much further behind and he also struggles to make an impact.

It was predictable that there would be difficulties, given that the team developed a power unit from scratch. Verstappen is now the central figure of the team, especially after the departures of Horner and Marko. He can influence the future of the team.

It is true that he enjoys GT3 racing, but that would mean giving up enormous financial figures. His future is uncertain: he could stay at Red Bull or look elsewhere.

Mercedes seems to have found alternatives, Aston Martin has lost appeal. If Ferrari became competitive again, it could be an interesting destination.