“I do think this test has been a bit of a reality check for all of us,” Russell said. “Firstly, a huge amount of chat regarding Mercedes and our power unit in the winter, all of it just speculation, because nobody knows anything at that point.”
Formula 1’s 2026 pre-season schedule has been expanded due to major technical regulation changes. The season began with a five-day private shakedown in Barcelona from 26-30 January, followed by the first official Bahrain test from 11-13 February. The final three-day test is scheduled at Bahrain from 18-20 February, giving teams a last chance to fine-tune their cars before the season opener.
Russell highlighted Red Bull’s dominance across both locations. “The truth is, Red Bull in Barcelona, day one, hit the ground running, well ahead of all of their competitors – ourselves, Ferrari and the others. Day one here in Bahrain, again, they knocked it out of the park. At the moment, they’re very much the team to beat.”
He also warned that Red Bull’s early advantage could translate into race pace in Melbourne. “It’s quite straightforward when you have three days of testing in the same locations to make those improvements.
“But when you get to Melbourne and you’ve got three practice sessions, three hours of practice before qualifying, based on what we’ve seen in Barcelona and Bahrain, Red Bull are going to be ahead. So we’ve got work to do.”
Despite Mercedes topping some timing sheets, Russell’s message is clear: Red Bull has set the early benchmark. “We’ve got work to do,” he said, signalling that the Silver Arrows are analysing every detail before the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March at Albert Park.
