Matchmaking - THE absolute nonsense

the new season started, everyone starts at 0 when climbing the ladder. some people prefer to play solo, others go for a flex with their buddies. and then there is me. i am trying to play flex with some friends. but i cant. cause my rank is "too low". one of them is gold 4, the other is silver 2 and the last one is silver 4. i am bronze 2 in flex after my provisional ranked games.

and when i queue up solo in a flex i get to play with and against players in the same division/rank as my friends. what the ...? is this supposed to be a joke? either let me play against players with the same rank as me or let me play with my friends.

the reason i posted this in the gameplay section is because i believe this is a matter to look deeper into. how is this contradictory implementation of matchmaking in a ranked system even allowed in a copetitive game like league to begin with?

maybe it is also worth mentioning that i had the same experience on another account, where i had the same issues in soloq. i was bronze 1 and played versus gold 2 players. and at the same time, i wasnt able to play with my brother, who is gold 4.

i would love an explanation to this, maybe i have missed something more detailed about the system.