The British engineer, a Formula 1 veteran, started at Lola before moving to Benetton and Lotus, then to Williams to follow his protégé Jacques Villeneuve to BAR, where he was a pillar until the takeover of Brawn GP by Mercedes.
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He thus collaborated with Lewis Hamilton at Brackley, but joined Ferrari where he still serves as Senior Driver Performance Engineer for Charles Leclerc.
Small gap
He therefore knows the two top teams of this early 2026 championship well, and his opinion is highly relevant as he puts the gap into perspective: “There is a new regulation and Mercedes has taken a slight advantage, as in 2014, but it is absolutely not the dominance we had at the time.”
By way of comparison, he recalls that in 2014, Mercedes could afford not to push in qualifying because the gap was so large. It’s nothing like the current situation, where every detail counts. Today, Mercedes must fully exploit its potential, as Ferrari remains a direct threat.
Clear estimates the gap to be around three-tenths, a significant gap no doubt, but far from decisive over an entire season: “They have to give everything, with Ferrari close enough to beat them. I don’t think they have a hidden margin yet, so we’re talking about an advantage of about three-tenths.”
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A hierarchy still in flux
According to Clear, this advantage could quickly disappear thanks to continuous development, and he is betting instead on progress from Ferrari, but also from Red Bull Racing, to tighten the hierarchy: “Those three-tenths will disappear quickly. I don’t see Mercedes turning that gap into six-tenths.”
The break after the Japanese Grand Prix could play a key role, offering teams time to analyze their performance and introduce upgrades.
Clear’s conclusion: the championship is far from over. Unlike 2014, Mercedes is dominating, but without crushing the competition, suggesting a much more closely contested 2026 season.
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