A very honest evaluation followed after the Bahrain testing when George Russell acknowledged that the first week of the 2026 Formula 1 season has become a reality test to Mercedes as Red Bull set the initial standard. With winter rumours that the new power unit of Mercedes would reign supreme under the new rules, Russell admitted that the idea of Red Bull having an in-house engine project seems to have jumped several steps whilst at the most important initial step.
First, the pre-season story had put Mercedes squarely at the top of the pedestal. The anticipation of greater returns on its new power unit was running during the winter, and the opinion was strengthened by a successful shakedown in Barcelona, that the Brackley squad were likely to enter the new era with plenty of impetus. However, when cars entered the track on a competitive basis in Bahrain, the competitive scenario changed drastically.
Russell admitted that a great part of the previous hype was speculative. There was much talk of Mercedes and our power unit in winter, I said, and there was no group of people better informed than we were, although it would be impossible to be sure of the competitive hierarchy until we started running. In Bahrain, he proposed, there was transparency.
The other more notable thing was the energy deployment of Red Bull. According to the GPS results of the test, there was a significant difference on straights since the new Red Bull powertrain was providing better electrical deployment during repeat accolades. The margin, according to Russell, did not happen to be insignificant or marginal.
It was hit out of the park by Red Bull, he admitted. They do not merely take a little stride. You are a half-second, one second, at a lap deployment. In a sport where there is usually a difference of tens, such a margin is a huge difference and could make it or break it as the season starts in Melbourne.
But, like all good things in time, testing season offers to make one fall prey to a premature judgment. No company shows its entire performance capability in pre-season. The fuel loads, engine mode, run plan are different across a large scale and therefore absolute comparisons are not possible. Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache even has snobbishly cited his team as last in the pecking order after Mercedes, Ferrari as well as McLaren.
Max Verstappen, in his turn, did not subscribe to the messages that Mercedes are losing so much, implying that the Silver Arrows has not yet switched full power to their engines. But George Russell was obstinate over his explanation of the thing he saw.
On the part of Mercedes, it is now all about development. Russell also pointed out that the championship will not be won in February despite the initial impressions being good in favour of Red Bull. We do have a job ahead of us, he told me, recognising the enormity of the task and the chance of improvement.
The 2026 regulations are one of the most radical power unit technical reresets in the history of Formula 1, especially on the power unit level. The move by Red Bull to create its own engine department jointly with Ford was considered as a long term gamble. There have been indications early that gamble can already be approaching dividend payout.
In the case of Mercedes that is traditionally dominant throughout the hybrid era, the threat of being on the receiving end is a foreign experience. George Russell acknowledged that his team had gone to testing with great hopes which were influenced by inner belief and outer portrayal. Bahrain on the other hand, gave sobering information.
Nevertheless, the pessimism in the camp is moderate. New regulation development cycles are steeper and initial gains at the beginning of the season might upset the situation soon. Russell was alluding that there is still unreachable potential in the power unit of Mercedes and that the Melbourne may show the true picture of hierarchy.
Lastly, the comments made by George Russell are realist and hungry without competition. Instead of denying or diminishing the performance of Red Bull, he was bold to accept it. The intensity of the new season is highlighted by that transparency. The competitors would need to quickly react in case Red Bull actually have half a second or higher deployment advantage.
The 2010 Australian Grand Prix will be the first clear cut measure. Up till the time Bahrain is acting as an omen: the new phase might not start as the prediction of winter predicts. In the case of Mercedes and George Russell, the task is evident, narrow the gap, unlock performance, and make sure a “reality check can be no longer a judgement in the long run.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeroto30s/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zeroto30s
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeroto30s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zeroto30s