Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies: “It came sooner than expected”

Long-time Formula 1 observers know that when the rules in the premier class undergo comprehensive changes, it often leads to a new balance of power, in which the team that has opted for the right concepts initially enjoys a significant advantage. Consequently, Grand Prix experts and fans were eagerly anticipating this year’s season, and some regretted the rule revolution, fearing it would erode the high level of competitiveness seen in recent years.

But things turned out differently than expected; amongst the top teams in particular, the gaps narrowed steadily as the season progressed, and in the final practice sessions, often only a few tenths separated the top drivers. Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies admits that nobody had actually anticipated this. The Frenchman says: “It’s true that, as far as the levelling out of performance at the top of the field is concerned, it happened sooner than expected.”

“I suspect that this situation may be an indicator of just how restrictive the regulations are. However, you can also see clear differences in the car designs across the field. And all four top teams are capable of fighting for victories, which is of course good for the sport,” the engineer went on to explain.

“We’ll have to wait and see how things pan out in the second year,” Mekies cautioned, but added in the same breath: “But what can be said with certainty is this: it’s brilliant for the sport that, even in the second half of the season, you arrive at a race weekend without knowing which of the four top teams will take the win. And in qualifying, there are only two tenths separating the top five drivers. That’s because we’ve seen a fierce battle for development. The teams must therefore execute the race weekends perfectly if they want to secure victory on Sunday.”

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