division will converge next year.
Christian Horner believes tight qualifying at Circuit of the Americas is a sign of things to come next season.
Red Bull have been dominant for much of the current campaign, but face a challenge from their rivals during the US Grand Prix weekend.
The Milton Keynes-based side could only finish sixth and ninth alongside Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in Friday’s qualifying session.
In Saturday’s sprint qualifying, Verstappen took pole position. However, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton were both within a tenth of a second of the two-time world champion.
Red Bull has only been beaten once this year when Ferrari won the Singapore Grand Prix.
Much more intense
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner said Red Bull struggled for the remainder of the weekend in the US, but also suggested it was a sign of the hierarchy will be stricter. next season.
“It definitely makes things a lot tighter,” he said. “It definitely helps with those margins and you have to rely on your data more.
“So the number of simulations you do in a race is much more intense.
“But it will happen. When we have stable regulations, the cars and teams converge.
“I think it’s a harbinger of what we’ll see next year, where the field will be a lot tighter.”
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