Following the end of the first 2026 F1 Bahrain test, George Russell highlighted that the Mercedes W17 car revealed its challenges, despite a previously smooth Barcelona Shakedown.
Notably, Russell’s lap times improved steadily over the three-day test at the Bahrain International Circuit, with a total of 188 laps completed. The Brit finished Day 1 in P6 with a 1:36.108, before claiming P4 on Day 2, and finally setting the fastest time during the Day 3 AM session with a 1:33.818. However, in the overall Day 3 results, Russell settled for P2 as his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, went 0.249 seconds quicker in the PM session.
“We’ve taken a step back”
Speaking to Formula 1 TV on Friday, Russell reflected on his impressions of completing the final runs in the first Bahrain test and how they compared to the earlier runs in Barcelona.
“Yeah, I think it was needed, this test for us because Barcelona was very smooth, and probably smoother than we actually anticipated, in terms of reliability, in terms of performance,” he said. “We’ve got to Bahrain and in both regards we’ve taken a step back. You know, we have had some reliability issues,” as suspension and power unit issues limited Antonelli’s running on Days 1 and 2.
Russell continued with praise for Red Bull: “Our competitors have hit the ground running, especially Red Bull, they look very strong with the power unit. And there was the same on day one in Barcelona, so kudos to them for an amazing job that they’ve done. But we need to focus on ourselves and try and find some more performance.”
Eyes on the second Bahrain test
Russell further shared that he isn’t too concerned about the new reliability issues, as the team expected these challenges during the 2026 F1 Bahrain test, particularly because of the new car regulations.
“For sure this testing, this is what testing is all about and I think we probably all expected to see a bit more of this, especially in Barcelona, but it’s still very early days, you know, we’ve got another test, a month until Melbourne.”
As 2026 F1 Bahrain pre-season testing continues on February 18th, teams still have time to make and test new adjustments.
“We’re obviously very focused on the performance, but you’ve also got to finish the race if you want to fight for the results. So you know, being a driver, you’re always focused on performance, a number of the team members are really focused on reliability and working hard on that.”
With this, Russell briefly explained that Mercedes will make small changes to the W17 car for next week.
“Yeah for sure, some bits and pieces here and there, nothing too dramatic, but I think you’ll see that a lot from everyone up and down the paddock.”
Russell on being the 2026 Championship favorite
Finally, when asked about how it feels to be the 2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship favorite with Mercedes’ strong testing progress, Russell shared: “I don’t make a huge amount from it because ultimately that was all because of noise and speculation in the media that we’re going to have the best power unit and the truth is I think we have a strong power unit.”
He added: “I think we’ve delivered a very good car, but right now Red Bull seems to have delivered the best engine at the moment and we’ve got work to do and we know, history says, they have also delivered a pretty decent car over the previous years, so of course we would have wished otherwise. But this is F1 and everyone’s pushing everyone to the limit, so let’s see in Melbourne.”
