George Russell still sees a major advantage that Red Bull holds over the competition. The Brit says the Austrians’ energy management looked the best across the whole grid, he concludes after the two test weeks in Bahrain. ‘That is certainly a compliment to them and, in my view, it was a bit of a surprise for everyone,’ Russell says.
The first kilometres with the brand-new Formula 1 engines are done. Over two weeks in Bahrain every team was able to test the 2026 cars and power units extensively, though not every driver came away impressed. Max Verstappen quickly called the new cars ‘Formula E on steroids’, and Charles Leclerc reported ‘less driving pleasure’ in the SF-26. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff meanwhile labelled Red Bull ‘the benchmark’ after seeing the reliability of their power unit.
Although Red Bull immediately shrugged off the favourite tag, George Russell maintains that the Austrian outfit’s energy management is still the best on the grid. “Their deployment (of electrical energy, ed.) certainly still looks the best on the grid,” the Brit in Bahrain said. “That’s certainly a compliment to them and, in my view, it was a bit of a surprise for everyone.” The deployment of electrical energy plays a key role under the new regulations during the upcoming races.
‘Main point of concern’
Whether Red Bull’s advantage will translate into success at the Australian GP in early March remains to be seen, according to Russell. “Let’s wait and see how it looks in Melbourne. I think the teams with Mercedes power units have made a lot of improvements since the first day in Bahrain last week, which has drastically narrowed the gap,” the driver said. “But of course we’ve had six test days in Bahrain now, while in Melbourne you get three hours of practice – and that’s the main point of concern,” Russell concluded.
