Mercedes continues to maintain a significant advantage over its rivals in Formula 1, while Red Bull reports a gap of “around one second per lap” to the W17. This was confirmed by Laurent Mekies after the Australian Grand Prix, a challenging race for the Milton Keynes team’s drivers. While Isack Hadjar, starting from third position, was forced to retire due to a technical issue on his RB22, Max Verstappen suffered an unlucky incident on Saturday, which pushed him to the back of the grid.
The Australian GP confirms expectations
The season-opening race largely confirmed what many experts had anticipated. Mercedes won convincingly with a one-two finish, suggesting the team will be dominant protagonists throughout the 2026 season. Ferrari appeared relatively close to the Brackley car in terms of single-lap speed, but ultimately could not match Mercedes over the race distance. The battle is expected to continue in Shanghai, where the SF-26 could feature its first upgrades.
Other rivals struggle
Meanwhile, other teams are finding the season more challenging. Both McLaren and Red Bull, who battled closely until the final races of last year, are currently at a disadvantage. From the Austrian squad, an important figure on the gap to Mercedes emerges: according to Red Bull, the deficit is currently around one second per lap.
Laurent Mekies admits the W17 advantage
“We had expected to be the fourth-fastest team at the end of the pre-season tests,” explained Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Red Bull. “And in hindsight, I think that was a fairly accurate prediction. This weekend probably went slightly better than anticipated. In the race, it is probably fair to say that we had similar pace to McLaren, but we certainly weren’t able to challenge Ferrari or Mercedes.”
“Regarding the gap to Mercedes, it was very difficult to assess after pre-season testing because we knew there were tactical games being played to hide the true performance. So I wouldn’t say we were surprised by the gap we saw this weekend. I would estimate it is probably around one second per lap,” concluded the French engineer.
This candid admission from Laurent Mekies underlines the shifting power dynamics in the 2026 era of Formula 1. While Red Bull and McLaren were the benchmarks of the previous regulations, the superior energy management and aerodynamic efficiency of the Mercedes W17 have set a new, daunting standard. As the circus heads to the Shanghai International Circuit, the pressure is on the Milton Keynes engineers to find rapid solutions, or they risk watching the championship fight disappear into the distance. For Red Bull, the goal is no longer just winning, but closing a one-second chasm that separates them from the front of the grid.
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