Mercedes impressed rivals by completing a full race simulation on the second day of Formula 1's 2026 pre-season shakedown in Barcelona. Williams team principal James Vowles described the feat as a 'laugh in everyone's face' due to Mercedes' advanced preparation. George Russell expressed satisfaction with the team's performance while noting strong showings from competitors.
The Barcelona shakedown at the end of January marked an ominous start for Mercedes in the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season. Driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli shared the Mercedes W17 car and its HPP power unit with teammate George Russell, completing a full race simulation on day two. The car ran reliably, as did Mercedes' customer engines in the McLaren and Alpine teams, allowing this early milestone while other squads lagged behind.
Williams team principal James Vowles, a former Mercedes strategist, praised the achievement. "I've been impressed with them," Vowles said. "I probably shouldn't be because I used to be a part of it, but for Mercedes to hit the ground and then do a race distance on day two, that's kind of a big laugh in everyone else's face of just exactly how advanced they are in terms of what they're doing right now."
Russell echoed the positivity after the shakedown. "We left Barcelona with a positive feeling because the car reacted as we anticipated," he said. "The numbers we're seeing from the aero on the car match what we see back on the simulator, how the car is handling is matching how it feels on the simulator. So, this is something we've not really experienced since 2021 as a team."
However, Russell cautioned against underestimating rivals. "But we can't discount our rivals because there was a lot of talk around the Red Bull power unit not being up to standard year one. From what we've seen so far, they've definitely delivered. The Ferrari power unit looks reliable. They did lots of laps not far behind us over the course of the test. So the truth is that there could be a good fight on our hands, but we're satisfied with what we've experienced so far."
Vowles also commended Red Bull Ford Powertrains' debut unit. "I've been surprised, in a positive way for the sport, with Red Bull's power unit in terms of how competitive it is," he added. "But also, to build a power unit from scratch in your first year, delivered on track, have both of your teams running big kilometres, is mighty."
Williams missed the Barcelona event due to production delays but gained insights from Mercedes customer teams. The squad conducted a week of virtual testing, plus filming days in Silverstone and Bahrain for the FW48, which ran flawlessly. "Obviously, we missed the test but... across these six days you can do some quite high mileage numbers that get you back to where you want to be," Vowles noted, expressing confidence in catching up during upcoming Gulf tests.
