McLaren team principal Andrea Stella stated that Mercedes and Ferrari outperformed his team in race simulations during the first pre-season test in Bahrain. He highlighted their competitive pace while noting Red Bull's strong position. Stella cautioned against overinterpreting test results but placed Ferrari and Mercedes at the top early on.
The first official pre-season test for the 2026 Formula 1 season took place in Bahrain, where teams focused on long runs to assess race pace. McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella praised rivals Mercedes and Ferrari, admitting they "were quicker than us" in simulations conducted on Thursday and Friday.
Stella observed a clear lead group among the traditional top teams: Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren. Mercedes demonstrated early reliability during the Barcelona shakedown, while Red Bull impressed with energy deployment from its new, more powerful electric motor as a first-time power unit manufacturer. Ferrari emerged as a paddock highlight after Mercedes encountered issues in the test's second half, allowing the Scuderia to complete more distance. Drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton showed rapid long-run paces on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
"In terms of race pace, I can confirm that the race pace of Ferrari looks pretty competitive," Stella said. He noted simulations by Hamilton, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Oscar Piastri, where Antonelli and Hamilton were quicker than McLaren's effort, and Leclerc's run was competitive. "I just invite everyone to just be careful looking too much into what we see in testing. However, in terms of early indications from a competitiveness point of view, I think definitely [you can] put Ferrari and Mercedes at the top of the list."
Stella described Red Bull as "very well equipped" and urged the FIA for three safety and spectacle tweaks before the Australian Grand Prix opener in Melbourne. He explained that new hybrid power unit demands require counterintuitive driving, such as lift-and-coast maneuvers or energy harvesting in corners, but chassis requirements remain focused on downforce and aerodynamic efficiency. "The fastest car in Melbourne will be the one that has the best downforce, will be fastest in the corners, and has a power unit that is obviously competitive," he added.
