George Russell: Bahrain F1 test a "reality check" for Mercedes as Red Bull ahead

George Russell says Red Bull has "knocked out the park" with its new Formula 1 powertrain, leaving rivals scratching their heads

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

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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.