Mattia Binotto doesn't believe too much emphasis should be placed on the pecking order at the start of next season.

Fact is, the 2026 overhaul is not merely the most sweeping in living memory but in many ways the entire history of the sport.

Movable aero, smaller cars and a 50/50 split between electric and traditional power, not forgetting sustainable fuel and much, much more.

In what some might compare to bears defecating in woodland areas and emphasising the religion of the Pope, Sauber - soon to be Audi - boss, Mattia Binotto, believes it will be the teams that react quickest in the early stages of the season that will come out on top.

"I don't think we can judge who will be the best team by the start of next season," says the Italian. "It's more how the team will be capable of reacting later. Because whatever will be the level of competition and the level of performance of each single team, for me, the best team will be the ones that are capable of reacting quickly, and developing quickly.

"There will be a significant change on the aero and on the vehicle side," continues the former Ferrari boss, who oversaw the last significant rules overhaul whilst still at Maranello. "So, it's combining two effects, both the power unit and the chassis and the aero.

"We believe that the parameters, or the variables that before were important for performance, may be different tomorrow," he adds. "So, we believe that with the new regulations, what counted before to go fast could be different.

"So, it means that as well, all the tools that were back in the factory, the simulations that were fine-tuned for the current regulations, need to be completely reviewed for the next one, because it's not the same parameters that will have the same level of importance.

"I think that change is something which we are not used to," he admits. "And it may be that at the start of next season, some of the teams would have done it properly, some others not, because the tools are not yet properly tuned."