Mercedes' early F1 race simulation a "laugh in everyone's face" - Williams

Mercedes advanced run plan during Formula 1's 2026 pre-season has impressed its rivals

Mercedes being able to complete a full race simulation on day two of Formula 1's Barcelona shakedown in January was a "laugh in everyone's face", thinks Williams chief James Vowles.

Mercedes got off to an ominously strong start to the 2026 pre-season as Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed a full race simulation on day two on Barcelona's shakedown at the end of January.

The Mercedes W17 and its HPP power unit, which Antonelli shared with team-mate George Russell, ran reliably throughout, as did its customer engines in the back of the McLaren and Alpine.

As a result, Antonelli was able to complete a full race simulation as early as day two while other teams were still well away from that stage, which particularly caught the eye of rival squads.

"I've been impressed with them," Williams' team principal James Vowles said. "I probably shouldn't be because I used to be a part of it, but for Mercedes to hit the ground and then do a race distance on day two, that's kind of a big laugh in everyone else's face of just exactly how advanced they are in terms of what they're doing right now."

After the positive shakedown, Russell couldn't hide his delight with how the W17 had rolled out, but he also cautioned that the rest of 2025's top four looked in good shape.

"We left Barcelona with a positive feeling because the car reacted as we anticipated," he said. "The numbers we're seeing from the aero on the car match what we see back on the simulator, how the car is handling is matching how it feels on the simulator. So, this is something we've not really experienced since 2021 as a team.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

"But we can't discount our rivals because there was a lot of talk around the Red Bull power unit not being up to standard year one. From what we've seen so far, they've definitely delivered. The Ferrari power unit looks reliable. They did lots of laps not far behind us over the course of the test. So the truth is that there could be a good fight on our hands, but we're satisfied with what we've experienced so far."

Vowles also doffed his cap to the work Red Bull Ford Powertrains has done to produce its first-ever power unit that appears to be in good shape, with its internal combustion engine looking particularly impressive in Barcelona.

"I've been surprised, in a positive way for the sport, with Red Bull's power unit in terms of how competitive it is," Vowles added. "But also, to build a power unit from scratch in your first year, delivered on track, have both of your teams running big kilometres, is mighty."

Vowles's own team missed Barcelona's shakedown due to production delays, and while the data gathered by its fellow Mercedes runners has somewhat dulled the pain for Williams, it will still need to play catch-up over the next two three-day tests in the Gulf.