As the start of the 2026 season approaches, George Russell wonders about the real hierarchy of the field. The Briton believes that Red Bull may have deliberately masked its true potential during pre-season testing.
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As every year, pre-season testing in Bahrain has triggered an avalanche of analysis and hypotheses about the order of forces in Formula 1. With the introduction of a new technical era, observers are scrutinizing the performances of the different teams more than ever.
Among those attracting the most attention is naturally Red Bull Racing. The Milton Keynes-based team approaches this 2026 F1 season with a particularly ambitious project as it introduces its own power unit to the discipline for the first time.
During the first testing session in Bahrain, Red Bull’s performance quickly impressed several rival teams. The lap times and race simulations seemed to indicate that the team could once again start the season with an extremely competitive car.
But the situation evolved in a surprising way during the second week of testing.
A drop in performance that intrigues Russell
Indeed, Red Bull’s performance seemed significantly more discreet during the second test held at the same circuit. A drop in pace that did not go unnoticed by George Russell.
The Mercedes driver explained that his team had closely followed the available data during testing. According to him, Mercedes maintained a very transparent approach in its preparation.
“On our side, there wasn’t really any strategic poker” he explained to the media.
The Briton insists that his team did not seek to mask its level of performance.
“We were very consistent in our programs during the two weeks, keeping fuel loads and engine modes quite similar.”
He also adds that Mercedes did not change its strategy based on the impression left by the lap times: “We didn’t change our plans during testing based on whether we seemed fast or slow.”
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Red Bull deliberately holding back?
It is precisely this consistency that makes Red Bull’s situation difficult for Russell to understand. According to the data analyzed by Mercedes, the drop in performance observed during the second test seems surprisingly significant.
The Briton even suspects the world champion team of having deliberately backed off to avoid attracting too much attention.
“I think Red Bull looked suspiciously slow during the second test, to be honest” he declared.
Russell explains that the figures collected by his team show a surprising evolution between the two testing sessions.
“We had identified them as probably the fastest during the first test. And according to our data, they were seven tenths slower during the second.”
Meanwhile, some teams have on the contrary progressed: “We, like Ferrari, gained a few tenths with some new developments on the car.”
Mercedes still expects a very strong Red Bull
This variation in performance leaves Russell perplexed. According to him, it is difficult to explain such a loss of time in just one week without a particular reason.
“I find it hard to understand how they could have lost seven tenths in a week” he recognized.
For this reason, the British driver refuses to draw conclusions too quickly before the first race of the season. Russell even believes that Red Bull could prove to be extremely competitive once the season is underway.
“I expect them to be very strong, to be honest.”
As the first Grand Prix approaches, the real hierarchy remains one of the paddock’s greatest mysteries. Between testing strategies, different programs, and mind games, we will probably have to wait for qualifying on the first race weekend to discover the true level of each team.
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