Mekies surprised by rapid F1 convergence under 2026 rules

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has said he is surprised by how quickly F1's four leading teams have converged under the new 2026 regulations. He suggested the tight competition could be an indication of fairly restrictive rules, despite the cars retaining visibly different design concepts.

Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have each won multiple grands prix so far this season, and the battle at the front has become increasingly difficult to predict. Mekies described four top teams fighting for victories as a great point for the sport, and said the top five in qualifying are now separated by around two tenths.

Mekies added that not knowing which of the four leading teams will win a given race weekend is good for the sport, and that winning now requires development progress combined with near-perfect execution.