George Russell backs the words of his team principal Toto Wolff, calling rival Red Bull ‘the most competitive’ team on the current grid. The Brit reached that conclusion during the Bahrain test days, where Max Verstappen’s showing in the RB22 in particular immediately turned heads. “We’re talking about a gap of half to a full second over a lap,” Russell explains.
Red Bull impressed during the Bahrain test days. Max Verstappen set the fastest time on Wednesday morning — the first test session of the week — and immediately logged heavy mileage. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff could hardly believe his eyes. “Well, I had hoped they would perform worse,” the Austrian admitted. “The car, the engine. Red Bull is simply setting the benchmark right now, I think. And of course, when you’ve got Max (Verstappen) in the car, it’s a rock-solid combination.”
George Russell — who begins his fifth season as a Mercedes driver in 2026 — fully agreed with his team principal. “The truth is that Red Bull in Barcelona on day one immediately came out of the blocks strong and were far ahead of all their rivals, so us, Ferrari and the others,” the Brit told reporters in Bahrain. “Right now they really are the team to beat.”
‘Frightening to see’
Mercedes still posted the quickest time on Friday in Bahrain. Andrea Kimi Antonelli turned a 1:33.669 in the afternoon session, after Russell earlier in the day became the first driver to dip below 1:34.000. Even so, the Brit keeps pointing at Red Bull. “I don’t think anyone should really be looking at us. You should be looking at the most competitive car on the grid, and that is Red Bull at the moment.”
“They’re not just a small step ahead. We’re talking about a gap of half to a full second in lap performance,” Russell adds. “So it’s quite alarming to see that difference. Red Bull have produced a very strong car over the past fifteen years, even when they didn’t have a great power unit, so this test was a real eye-opener for many of us.”
Red Bull themselves disagree with the Mercedes men’s conclusion. Team principal Pierre Waché denied that the Austrians are already the benchmark for the coming season, while Verstappen sees the Silver Arrows’ comments mostly as a way of ‘trying to shift the pressure onto us’.
