Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell says his squad is now on the back foot as Red Bull is the “team to beat” at the start of 2026.
Mercedes was put on the pedestal before the start of pre-season testing amid rumours over its powerful new engine, and its reliable running in Barcelona’s shakedown did little to dispel that the Brackley-based squad was poised to kick off the new rules era on the front foot.
But after the first test in Bahrain, Mercedes-powered teams have been keen to elevate Red Bull and its first-ever in-house powertrains as the pick of the bunch, pointing to its impressive energy deployment on the straights, which is clearly visible on the GPS traces.
And while no team or power unit manufacturer would ever show its full hand at this early stage, Russell backed comments from Williams’ Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris that Red Bull is now the team to beat in Melbourne’s opener.
“I do think this test has been a bit of a reality check for all of us,” he said. “Firstly, [there was] a huge amount of chat regarding Mercedes and our power unit in the winter, all of which is speculation because nobody knows anything at that point. And the truth is, Red Bull on Barcelona day one hit the ground running and were well ahead of all of their competitors, so ourselves, Ferrari and the others.
“Day one here in Bahrain again, they sort of knocked out the park. So, at the moment, they’re very much a team to beat. So we’ve got work to do.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
He added: “And they’re not just a small step ahead. You’re talking in the order of half a second to a second in deployment over the course of a lap. So it’s pretty scary to see that difference.”
Red Bull is heavily disputing that, with its technical director Pierre Wache putting the team fourth in the pecking order behind a leading trio Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Max Verstappen is also laughing off suggestions Mercedes is behind, as he is convinced its power units will be dominant once they are turned all the way up in Australia.
When Motorsport.com put Verstappen’s comments to him, Russell responded: “Well, I hope we’ve got a big ace up our sleeve. Of course, everybody during testing, no one’s running their maximum performance and you’re still learning.
“But the truth is they’ve hit the ground running far better than every other team. And when we compare ourselves, not only to Red Bull, but also Ferrari, they also look in a good place. I think we’ve delivered a very strong car this year.
“Of course, all of the chat around our competitiveness for this season was based on the power unit side. There will be big development, but right now Red Bull are the team to beat in that area. It’s pretty impressive what they’ve done, considering they’re a brand-new outfit. We hope we can catch up.”
Photos from Bahrain Pre-Season Testing – Day 3
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3, in photos
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