George Russell said the Brackley‑based squad now sits on the back foot after Bahrain’s first test. Before the shakedown, Mercedes rode a wave of speculation about a powerful new engine and reliable running in Barcelona. The team had been positioned to start the 2026 era on the front foot for the upcoming season in 2026.

The Bahrain test, however, flipped expectations. Red Bull’s first‑ever in‑house powertrains hit the ground running, outpacing rivals by a margin visible on GPS traces. Russell noted the gap was “half a second to a second” over a lap, a scary difference that puts the Austrian outfit ahead of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren for the season.

Other drivers echoed the sentiment. Williams’ Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris also called Red Bull the team to beat. Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Wache disputed the claim, ranking the team fourth behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Max Verstappen laughed off Mercedes’ doubts, confident the power units will dominate once fully unleashed in 2026.

With Red Bull now the benchmark, Mercedes faces a clear development target. Russell stressed that no team runs maximum performance during testing, yet the gap remains. The Brackley outfit must accelerate its power unit and chassis work to close the half‑second deficit before the Australian opener in 2026.