Feb.16 (GMM) The guessing game over who is leading Formula 1’s new 2026 era has descended into open finger-pointing in Bahrain.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists Red Bull-Ford is clearly in front – a claim now echoed by George Russell.
“They’re not just a small step ahead,” Russell said. “We’re talking about a lead of half a second to a full second per lap. It’s quite frightening to see such a difference.”
But the accusation has been met with disbelief from within the Red Bull camp.
“Who comes up with something like that?” laughed Liam Lawson, whose Racing Bulls car also runs the Red Bull power unit. “A second? Sorry, but that’s ridiculous.”
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache also rejected the suggestion.
“The others are better at traction out of slow corners,” he said. “Also at top speed, especially with low fuel. Slow and medium-speed corners haven’t been our strengths in recent years.
“It’s hard to say, but we’re certainly not the benchmark. We clearly see that Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are ahead of us.”
When reminded that Wolff had praised Red Bull’s new engine as the clear benchmark, Wache smiled.
“I wouldn’t say we’re the benchmark, but we have to acknowledge that our engine team has done a fantastic job. To build an engine as newcomers and then perform well on the track is a tremendous achievement.”
Ferrari, meanwhile, has kept a notably low profile – something Frederic Vasseur appears to relish.
“The best thing is that no one talks about us,” the Frenchman smiled. “And I like that.
“The balance of power? Nobody knows yet. Nobody knows whether Mercedes is getting everything out of its engine or not. It looks like it’s not.”
Nevertheless, Ferrari’s pace has begun to attract attention.
“Ferrari is definitely in a better position than feared,” said former driver Ralf Schumacher. “There were a lot of rumours, alleged problems with the crash tests, issues with the carbon fibre. But everything looks good here.”
Even reigning champions McLaren have pointed towards Maranello.
“As far as race pace is concerned, I can confirm that Ferrari’s speed in the simulation that Lewis Hamilton recently drove was very competitive,” said team principal Andrea Stella.
“At the same time, there was also one from Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes and one from Oscar Piastri in our McLaren. I see that Antonelli and Hamilton were both faster than us in the race simulation.”
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, however, sees it differently.
“I think Red Bull showed a little bit more than Mercedes and they’ve been very impressive,” he said. “I think Mercedes is hiding a massive amount, and only time will tell how much they’ve been hiding.”
Leclerc ultimately dismissed the debate as premature.
“I think everyone is trying to pass the ball to each other,” he said. “That’s normal at this point in the season, also because it’s so difficult to understand.
“Now that the hybrid and especially the electric motors are so much more powerful, there are so many small optimisation possibilities that you can hide the car’s true potential in many different ways. Therefore, it’s very, very difficult for us to understand exactly where we stand.”
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