P1racenews AI automatic summary:
RB team principal Laurent Mekies believes the gap to the top five teams is too big to bridge over the first half of this season, with updates later in the year needed to have a chance of closing in…
RB team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledges the significant gap to the top five teams in Formula 1, emphasizing the necessity of updates later in the season to have a chance at reducing the distance. The differentiation in race performance between the top five (Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Aston Martin) and the rest has been evident in the first three races of the season. Despite Yuki Tsunoda securing eighth place in the Australian Grand Prix, moving RB up to sixth overall, Mekies anticipates a formidable challenge to maintain this position. The team is preparing for a tough first half of the season, with hopes of making progress in the second part by introducing more improvements. Mekies stresses the importance of seizing every opportunity to score points, as the competition within the midfield group is extremely tight, with minimal margins separating the teams. RB plans to introduce a small update for the Japanese Grand Prix as part of their continuous development strategy to enhance their performance and competitiveness in the races.
