George Russell, a Formula 1 competitor for Mercedes, stated that his group currently finds itself disadvantaged, considering Red Bull emerges as the dominant force for the onset of the 2026 season.
Prior to the commencement of pre-season trials, Mercedes was highly regarded due to speculation about its potent new engine, and its consistent performance during the Barcelona shakedown reinforced the perception that the Brackley team was prepared to commence the fresh regulatory period with a strong advantage.
However, following the initial test held in Bahrain, teams utilizing Mercedes power units have been eager to highlight Red Bull and its inaugural proprietary powertrains as the leading contender, referencing their remarkable energy output on straightaways, which is distinctly observable from GPS data.
While it is typical for no team or engine producer to reveal their complete capabilities at such an early juncture, Russell supported the remarks made by Carlos Sainz of Williams and Lando Norris, McLaren’s world champion, asserting that Red Bull is currently the team destined for victory in the inaugural Melbourne race.
“Indeed, I believe this testing period served as a moment of harsh truth for everyone involved,” he commented. “Initially, during the winter, extensive discussions revolved around Mercedes and our power unit, all of which remained conjectural as no one possessed definitive information then. The reality is, Red Bull quickly established a lead from the first day in Barcelona, significantly outpacing all rival teams, including ourselves, Ferrari, and the rest.”
“On the initial day here in Bahrain, they once again performed exceptionally well. Consequently, they are currently unequivocally the team everyone must surpass. Therefore, we face considerable tasks ahead.”
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
He further remarked, “Furthermore, their lead is not insignificant. We are observing a performance advantage of approximately half a second to a full second in power delivery across a single lap. Witnessing such a disparity is quite alarming.”
Red Bull strongly contests this assessment, as its technical director, Pierre Wache, positions their team in fourth place among contenders, trailing Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren. Max Verstappen, too, dismisses the notion of Mercedes being behind, holding a firm belief that their power units will prove superior once fully optimized in Australia.
When Autosport presented Verstappen’s statements to Russell, he replied, “Indeed, I trust we possess a significant hidden advantage. Naturally, during testing, no participant operates at their peak capability, and learning remains an ongoing process.”
“However, the reality is they commenced operations much more effectively than any other squad. And upon comparing ourselves, not only with Red Bull but also with Ferrari, they too appear to be in a favorable position. I believe we have produced a highly capable vehicle this season.”
“Certainly, all discussions concerning our competitive standing for this season centered on the power unit aspect. Significant advancements are anticipated, yet currently, Red Bull represents the benchmark in that domain. Their achievements are quite remarkable, particularly given their status as a newly formed entity. Our aspiration is to close the gap.”
