Formula 1, Sportrik Media - George Russell of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team described the 2026 Bahrain pre-season test as a “reality check” after acknowledging the early strength of Oracle Red Bull Racing under the sport’s new technical regulations.
Heading into a season defined by fully redesigned cars and revised power unit architecture, Mercedes attracted significant attention following a promising shakedown in Barcelona. However, the official test in Bahrain presented a more complex picture, with Red Bull immediately establishing competitive pace while Mercedes continued evaluating aerodynamic balance and energy deployment characteristics of its updated package.
Russell stressed that much of the winter discussion surrounding Mercedes’ power unit was speculative, given the absence of comparative data prior to on-track running. In contrast, Red Bull appeared to arrive with a well-correlated baseline, enabling the team to extract performance from the outset in both Barcelona and Bahrain.
“I do think this test has been a bit of a reality check for all of us.”
“Firstly, a huge amount of chat regarding Mercedes and our power unit in the winter, all of it just speculation, because nobody knows anything at that point.”
“The truth is, Red Bull in Barcelona, day one, hit the ground running, well ahead of all of their competitors – ourselves, Ferrari and the others. Day one here in Bahrain, again, they knocked it out of the park. At the moment, they’re very much the team to beat.”
With only three additional days of testing scheduled before the opening round in Melbourne, Russell underlined the importance of early stability in car set-up. Limited practice time at Albert Park is expected to reward teams that have already defined a clear operational window for aerodynamic and mechanical balance.
“It’s quite straightforward when you have three days of testing in the same locations to make those improvements.”
“But when you get to Melbourne and you’ve got three practice sessions, three hours of practice before qualifying, based on what we’ve seen in Barcelona and Bahrain, Red Bull are going to be ahead. So we’ve got work to do.”
The final pre-season sessions this week will therefore be critical in refining performance maps, tyre understanding and energy management strategies before competitive action begins. For Mercedes, the priority remains correlation and optimisation, while Red Bull aims to translate early momentum into a tangible advantage at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
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