George Russell has shared his thoughts on how he felt driving Mercedes’s latest F1 challenger, the impact of the 2026 technical regulations on the cars, why several other teams impressed him, and his primary objective for the upcoming campaign following the opening day of the pre-season private shakedown in Barcelona.
While Kimi Antonelli took to the track in the morning, Russell got behind the wheel of the W17 in the afternoon as the five-day event got underway in Barcelona. The Mercedes pair managed to rack up 151 laps in total throughout the course of the day.
Russell’s opinion of the 2026 F1 cars and the new power units as Day 1 of Barcelona shakedown concluded
Speaking to F1 TV after the first day of the 2026 Barcelona shakedown was done and dusted, George Russell admitted how exhilarating it was to hit the track again, despite the drivers looking forward to the winter break at the end of a very busy and long campaign.
Russell also stated that the teams are curious to observe how the 2026 power units perform on the track since they feature a remarkable 300% increase in battery power and an even split between internal combustion engine and electric power under the brand new F1 regulations. Revealing that the amount of power these engines are generating is rather substantial, the Brit emphasised how exceptionally quick the laps of all the cars appeared around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Additionally, Russell commented on how the 2026 F1 cars being smaller in dimensions and 30 kilograms lighter than those of the previous generation will steer the sport in a better direction.
“I mean, first, it’s amazing just to be back out driving again. I think at the end of the year, everyone’s sort of looking forward to a break. But then after a week or two, you’re sort of raring to go again.
“Then there’s obviously a lot of anticipation for these new power units. So far, I think just generally on the whole, the amount of power they give is pretty impressive. I think for all the cars I was watching today, with all the different power units, probably the quickest I’ve ever seen an F1 car pass here in Barcelona. So that was pretty exciting to see.
“And the cars, you feel it being smaller. You can feel that weight reduction compared to previous years. So I think from that aspect as well, it’s gone in a good direction.”
Experience of driving the W17
In terms of whether driving the W17 at the Barcelona shakedown felt strikingly different in comparison to the Mercedes F1 challengers of the ground effect era, George Russell responded that drivers can rely on their instincts to tame the new cars once they get to grips with how they behave on the track.
Moreover, Russell surmised that the more agile 2026 F1 cars will facilitate better racing and spectacle. He also reckoned that the challenges they will experience when it comes to optimising the harvesting and use of the electrical energy over a lap won’t be particularly noticeable to the viewers.
Admitting that his sentiments were positive at the end of the first day of running, the 27-year-old recounted how visually compelling the bigger cars from the last two cycles of regulations were and ultimately conceded that he is more satisfied with the smaller cars now.
“It’s very different, to be honest. But once you wrap your head around it, it then feels quite intuitive, to be honest.
“So I think from the fans’ perspective, there’s definitely an opportunity to see more exciting racing.
“And I don’t think you potentially will see some of the negatives that we may feel from the car in terms of the recharge. But of course, that’s going to evolve so much over time. So I think all in all, it’s been an exciting day.
“And as I said, really glad and happy the cars are smaller now, because even though I was such a fan when we went to the big cars in 2017, visually, having driven them now for a few years, I think they were too big and now they just look cool.”
A number of other 2026 F1 teams impressed Russell on opening day of Barcelona shakedown
Asked whether Mercedes’s productive first day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya offered an additional sense of confidence as they gear up for two more days of permitted running in the next four, George Russell admitted that he was quite content with how they managed to get the ball rolling in without any major issues.
At the same time, Russell was quick to add how the performance of several other 2026 teams on day one of F1’s secretive Barcelona shakedown week had impressed him. The five-time race winner singled out Red Bull and Audi, who are using their homegrown power units for the first time, and Ferrari’s customer team Haas for successfully clocking up considerable mileage on the opening day.
Applauding the general lack of reliability concerns in the paddock, Russell also highlighted how far the sport has come since 2014 and reiterated that all the participating teams managing to hit the ground running was rather remarkable to witness.
“For sure, we’re very pleased with the day, but I was pretty impressed with a number of other teams, to be honest.
“You see the Red Bull-powered teams’ brand new power unit and they’re like a brand-new team from a power unit side, and they had a really smooth day with two cars.
“Audi had some good laps in there as well, and I think Haas did the most laps of everyone with a Ferrari engine. It’s not quite 2014 vibes of half the grid is breaking down and having loads of issues.
“I think Formula 1’s evolved so much since then and the level’s just so high. From every single aspect, it was pretty impressive to see all the teams on the whole having a lot of laps under their belt on day one.”
Objective for the 2026 season
With regard to what the general mood within the team is at the moment, George Russell stated that the Brackley-based squad is looking forward to the season opener in Melbourne.
Underlining the importance of the Barcelona shakedown and the upcoming two full pre-season tests in Bahrain for fine-tuning the new cars, Russell also remarked that the true pecking order will only emerge once all the eleven F1 teams compete in the 2026 Australian GP in early March. Furthermore, the Mercedes driver revealed what his source of motivation is as he enters his eighth season in the sport.
“I think we’re just all excited to get to Melbourne. Of course, days like today are needed and the shakedown. Testing in Bahrain is really important next up as well.
“But it’s only come Melbourne qualifying, Melbourne race, where we’ll get a real true indication of who’s on top. And of course, it’s awesome driving these new cars. But I’m here to compete and here to win. And that’s what I’m motivated for.”
