Top Formula 1 Team Principals finally agree on something!

If the last half-dozen races are any indication, the final ten races of this mammoth 2024 F1 World Championship could be fiercely competitive as the new rules level the playing field.

Seven different winners in 14 races testify to how tight the season has become, despite Max Verstappen's comfortable lead, thanks to his seven GP victories thus far—although none since Barcelona in May. It's also worth noting that Red Bull had won all 14 races at the same stage in 2023.

Reflecting on how close his F1 rivals are now, Red Bull boss Christian Horner recently told F1.com: “I think it’s great for the sport, and it was almost inevitable. When you get consistency of regulations, you always get convergence, which always brings the teams closer together.

"Of course, we have a big regulation change in 2026 that will cause divergence, but between now and then, the next 18 months will be flat-out between the four teams," predicted Horner.

The biggest surprise, although the signs have been around for about a year now, is McLaren's resurgence into race winners every Sunday and pole position favourites for every Qualifying session. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are now race winners, chasing Verstappen like never before.

Ferrari F1 team boss Fred Vasseur echoed his peers: "I think the four teams have done a similar job; it is not common that after 12 or 13 races, you can have four teams in a position to win the championship. It's so tight that one or two-tenths can move you from sixth to first.

"We've never seen this in F1. At Spa, we had six cars and four teams within ten seconds at the end of the race. There were years when the third-place finisher was a lap down," Vasseur recalled.

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff set his goals for the remaining races last week: “It is difficult to say what will happen in the final 10 races. The competitive order between the top four is close. That is a good thing, though, as it is making the sport incredibly exciting.

"We will be pushing for more victories and aiming to get top three in both championships," declared Wolff, as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell now have a car capable of winning—regularly, it seems. Zandvoort will reveal more.

Last year, Verstappen powered to pole position by half a second over his closest rival for his home race at Zandvoort, painted Orange. He went on to win the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, his third on home turf. This year, however, he is set for his strongest challenge yet at the seaside venue.