Rob Smedley, former Formula 1 race engineer, made a bold prediction about the battle between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing in the 2026 season. In an interview with Motorsport Week, Smedley highlighted that the Milton Keynes team could be a real threat to Mercedes, after observing the pre-season tests.
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Although Red Bull has been cautious about its chances of success, especially with the new Red Bull Powertrains-Ford project, featuring the production of the team’s first in-house power unit, the team surprised at the collective shakedown in Barcelona and pre-season in Bahrain, showing good pace in both short and long distances: “Red Bull looks very strong, they are right up there with Mercedes and probably have the advantage in race pace,” Smedley stated, pointing out that Ferrari could also be a threat, with innovation work worthy of highlight.
McLaren, on the other hand, was described as ‘a bit behind’ the other three teams, with Smedley suggesting that some midfield teams could close in on the fight at the top. However, he warned that, due to the immaturity of the new set of rules, the result of the first race, in Melbourne, may not reflect the season’s outlook: “What matters is development throughout the season,” Smedley stated, reinforcing that the pecking order could change significantly until the final race in Abu Dhabi.
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With the 2026 season about to begin with the Australian GP on March 08, expectations are high, but the constant evolution of the teams throughout the year will be of utmost importance in defining who will truly have the advantage in the championship.
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