Gasly says F1 has 'two leagues' as gap between top four and midfield widens

Pierre Gasly has said Formula 1 currently appears to be operating as "two leagues", with a large gap between the top four teams and the rest of the field. He linked the spread to the new regulations introduced this year, noting that rule resets have often caused gaps to widen before they narrow again.

Gasly pointed to 2025, the last year of the previous regulations, as one of the most closely bunched fields in the sport's history. He said he hopes a similar picture will emerge over the next year or two as teams reach the limit of what the current rules allow. He described the fight at the front as exciting for fans, citing McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.

The Alpine driver said the onus is on the teams in the midfield to close the gap, adding that Alpine intends to focus on delivering a better performance.