Let's enjoy this dubious speculation.
EDIT: just to note I put haas and racing bulls together because of 10 choice limit for the poll.
( Sorry to those who wanted to distinguish between those 2. <3
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( Sorry to those who wanted to distinguish between those 2. <3Unsure, or at least this will be the ultimate test. Fundamentally our top 3-4 are still the usual contenders, and there's been no major upset yet. One thing we shouldnt forget is the unforgiving cycle of success, means more talented individuals are attracted which furthers the cycle, and so on so forth.
In my opinion the cost cap helped to make the gaps smaller, but the top teams haven't really been trumped (and I dont think they ever will). They cannot throw the same amount of money they were throwing before, but the best people still go to the best teams. They have the best infrastructure and they also have the experience of being at the top.
I think the better question we have not discussed actually, is, has the new regulations disproportionally affected one team over another. I distinctly remember this was the case in 2022, where a lot of regulation on the suspension for example was overhauled to remove any baked in advantage that mercedes had.Emag wrote: ↑26 Nov 2025, 23:38In my opinion the cost cap helped to make the gaps smaller, but the top teams haven't really been trumped (and I dont think they ever will). They cannot throw the same amount of money they were throwing before, but the best people still go to the best teams. They have the best infrastructure and they also have the experience of being at the top.
I don't really expect any "shock" top 3 enters next year, but that depends on what the definition of shock would be for you. I personally wouldn't consider it a shock if Aston Martin for example are competitive next year. They have had a lot of investments since 2021.
As for potential "strugglers", I could see McLaren suffering to be honest. At least initially. Going into a relatively complicated new regulation with the least amount of wind tunnel hours seems challenging. RedBull did just fine in 2022 though, so who knows. But even if they start out rough, I would expect them to get better during the season because they have great people and probably the most up to date infrastructure of the top teams at the moment. Maybe a 2024-like season for them wouldn't be too farfetched (as in start a bit slow and at some point in the season come out strong with an upgrade package).
A dark horse, if you could even consider it that, for me it's RedBull. I don't know why so many people seem to have written them off. In the last 20 years, they're the most successful team in terms of WDC (I think). Maybe the engine could be an issue, but it's not like RBPT is developing the engine with sticks and stones. Ford is not exactly your neighborhood repair shop either.
On the chassis side, I believe they will deliver. They also have the best driver in the grid (let's say arguably, to not antagonize some people). They should be in contention.