Team principals Toto Wolff of Mercedes and Fred Vasseur of Ferrari are convinced that the midfield teams could be much closer to the Formula 1 leaders in the near future. With the 2026 season about to begin with the Australian GP next weekend, expectations regarding competition between teams are high, and both believe that performance convergence between teams will happen faster than imagined.
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After pre-season testing in Bahrain, the expectation is that the traditional top teams, such as Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren, will still dominate the scene in 2026. However, both Wolff and Vasseur believe that other teams will be able to close in significantly in the coming seasons, with Wolff even suggesting that this could happen in a short period, perhaps within six months.
Wolff, in particular, highlighted the example of McLaren, which in 2023 went from being at the bottom of the grid at the start of the season to fighting for victories in the final races of that year: “Who knows where we will be in six months?”, Wolff questioned. He believes that the possibility of recovery for midfield teams is real, given the equal opportunities provided by the introduction of the cost cap in Formula 1 in 2021.
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Vasseur, when asked how top teams like Mercedes and Ferrari still maintain an advantage over competitors, highlighted that performance convergence will occur over the years: “Convergence will come, but it will happen after several seasons. If we look at last year, it was probably the best season in terms of balanced competition, but it was after five years with the same regulations,” the Ferrari boss stated.
However, Vasseur also believes that the gap between teams could narrow throughout the season, especially due to the additional wind tunnel time that less competitive teams may have, which could allow for a significant step forward: “I am sure that, even starting with different performance and lap times, we will see a convergence very soon,” the Frenchman concluded.
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