George Russell is excited for the 2026 F1 season to begin and shared that he is ready to get racing. The Mercedes F1 team enjoyed a productive run during the Barcelona shakedown. Following the shakedown, the team have officially launched their challenger for the 2026 season, the W17, at their heritage centre in Brackley.
The launch of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W17 E Performance marked the official public reveal of W17 after revealing the livery on social media ahead of the Barcelona shakedown. Russell, who will be starting his fifth season with the Brackley outfit, shared that the new generation of cars look good and is excited to get the season started.
Speaking during the launch, the Briton said:
“Really excited to get going into the season. Obviously, there’s been so much hard work going into producing this car.
“The power unit’s been in production for a number of years now. And obviously, this car, everybody at Brackley has been working so hard over the last 12 to 14 months to prepare it. And just really excited to go racing now.”
There is an air of positivity surrounding the German manufacturer regarding their powertrains. The team began their preparations considerably earlier than many rivals, taking advantage of the initial regulatory announcements to start development work. Reports suggested that the team had already been dissecting the implications of a 50/50 power split and the removal of the MGU-H. Mercedes have also been the talk of the paddock with their engine compression ratio trick during the days leading up to Barcelona.
Once the power unit cost cap arrived in 2023, Mercedes were able to fully commit resources to a clean-sheet architecture. The team’s strategy closely matches their approach to the 2014 hybrid era, which delivered eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships.
George Russell speaks about his approach to the 2026 season
The 2026 regulations present a significant technical overhaul in F1’s recent history, with a complete reimagining of the power unit architecture. There will be a 50-50 power split between the engine and the battery, with the ICE running entirely on sustainable fuels. Cars have shrunk in size and weight with revised aero aimed at reducing turbulent dirty air. Active aero and overtake mode replace DRS in 2026.
The drivers’ preparations were largely simulator-based for the 2026 season, while it is useful for understanding the car concept, it still does not substitute for the actual experience and learnings of driving it in real life. Russell first sampled the W17 at their test run in Silverstone and then was able to finally do a proper run during the Barcelona shakedown.
For this reason drivers have opted a cautious approach for the season. Speaking of his approach for the upcoming season, Russell said:
“I think you need to go in with an open mind because we’ve been driving a lot on the simulator. But until you drive the car properly at different circuits, understanding what the challenges are, understanding the new power unit with the overtake mode, the boost button, we obviously got an opportunity in Silverstone and Barcelona to drive the car.”
The Mercedes team completed a total of 502 laps, almost eight Grand Prix distances. Russell led the individual mileage charts with 265 laps, topping the unofficial timing charts on all their days of running. A total of 1,142 laps completed by the M17 engine by Mercedes, Alpine and McLaren combined.
Russell feels the 2026 cars are “enjoyable to drive”
The latest generation of cars are much quicker on the straights with the powerful battery deployment and have introduced X and Z mode for the corners and the straights. After the test, Russell shared was immediately struck by the acceleration, pointing to the increased electrical output from the MGU-K as the defining factor.
He said that the laps appeared quick out of the corners, claiming it was the fastest he has ever seen an F1 car drive in Barcelona. That jump in performance comes from the 350 kW electrical boost, a departure from the ICE-dominated power delivery that defined the previous era.
During the launch he said:
“The new power units, I think for all of the teams are just so fast. When you use that boost button down the straight and you’ve got the full 350 kilowatts from the engine, the thing flies. So that’s really, really cool. And with the active aerodynamics, it just looks, I don’t know, it looks racy.”
The Briton added:
“And I like the look of the cars, a bit smaller. They feel lighter. They feel more nimble through the corners.
“So for us, it’s more enjoyable to drive. And hopefully it’s going to produce better racing for everyone to enjoy at home.”
With the Bahrain tests approaching and the 2026 season drawing close, the paddock widely views Mercedes as the favourite for both the championships. George Russell sounds very excited for the 2026 season and believes he can challenge for the title. The engine has shown bullet-proof reliability and during the Barcelona shakedown and the team is allegedly considering to use the Bahrain tests for set-up work, skipping system checks.
