During the first week of Formula 1's 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain, Mercedes-powered teams praised Red Bull's new power unit for its strong performance and reliability. However, comments from team principals and drivers suggest political motivations, including sandbagging and avoiding the favorite label. Separately, new regulations are complicating race starts, prompting calls for intervention.
The Bahrain testing sessions highlighted Red Bull's new DM01 engine, developed in-house with Ford, as a standout performer. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described Red Bull as 'the benchmark,' stating that Mercedes 'could not match it.' Red Bull's technical director Pierre Wache responded by placing his team fourth in the pecking order, behind Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren, noting Charles Leclerc's consistent runs for the Scuderia.
Leclerc, in turn, downplayed Ferrari's position and pointed to Mercedes and Red Bull as faster teams. McLaren's Oscar Piastri echoed the caution, emphasizing that energy management issues could cost 'upwards of half a second' in lap times. Max Verstappen dismissed the praise as 'diversion tactics,' accusing Mercedes of 'extreme sandbagging' and predicting they would find significant power by the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Data from the tests showed Verstappen achieving higher top speeds on the start-finish straight compared to rivals. Wache attributed Red Bull's early edge to quicker solutions in energy management, though he noted other teams were now matching or surpassing them. Internally, Red Bull drivers like Isack Hadjar expressed surprise at the engine's reliability, with Hadjar completing 110 laps on the first day in Barcelona and praising the team's progress despite starting the project three years ago.
Meanwhile, the 2026 power units, lacking the MGU-H, are making race starts more challenging. Without MGU-H assistance, engines must rev higher—up to 13,000 rpm in cases like Andrea Kimi Antonelli's practice—for longer periods to spool the turbo, sometimes exceeding 10 seconds. George Russell highlighted the risk, noting that launches must occur when lights go out, not when the turbo is optimally ready. Piastri warned that a poor start could result in losing six or seven positions, akin to an anti-stall in Formula 2.
Teams observed varying approaches to gear ratios, with Red Bull using aggressive downshifts for battery recharge and Russell suggesting Ferrari's smaller turbo might ease their starts. Calls for regulatory changes, including possible MGU-K use on the grid, are expected in the next F1 Commission meeting.
