George Russell says Mercedes’ 2026 car is already ‘‘ticking the boxes’’ on track, though he cautions it’s still far too early to declare a championship contender.
Bookmakers have installed Russell and Mercedes as pre-season favourites for this year’s Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles after F1’s revised engine and chassis rules. Mercedes appeared to back that billing at last week’s Barcelona shakedown, completing the most laps of any team — 500 — with the new W17 showing strong early reliability.
‘‘We’ve only driven the car for three days, so it’s early, but as Toto put it, it doesn’t look like a dud,’’ Russell said when Mercedes formally launched their 2026 campaign. He added that short tests tend to expose the really poor cars quickly, and while Mercedes don’t think theirs is one of those, they won’t declare victory yet.
Russell admitted some rival performances had surprised the team, singling out Red Bull. With Red Bull running its own engine for the first time, Russell praised its early pace and durability. He also noted signs of reliability from Ferrari’s power unit — highlighted by the number of laps completed by Ferrari-powered Haas at the test — suggesting a potentially close fight at the front.
Mercedes have deliberately kept expectations in check after the disruption that followed the 2022 technical regulations. Russell said the team left Barcelona encouraged because the W17’s aerodynamic data and on-track behaviour matched simulator predictions — something Mercedes have struggled to achieve consistently since 2021.
‘‘We’re ticking the boxes on everything we want to tick, but we can’t discount our rivals,’’ he said. ‘‘There could be a good fight on our hands, and that’s what we want to see.’’
On the prospect of a title duel with Max Verstappen, Russell was unequivocal: he’d welcome it. A competitive debut season from Red Bull’s new power unit would almost certainly keep Verstappen in the mix, and Russell said he wants to go head-to-head with the four-time champion. Being installed as favourites, he added, doesn’t change how he approaches the pressure.
Russell also flagged other likely challengers: Lando Norris and McLaren, who finished strongly last year, plus Aston Martin’s new car — the first designed by Adrian Newey — which he described as ‘‘spectacular’’ and not to be underestimated. He listed Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes as the teams currently looking close, and pointed to Honda’s past engine form with Red Bull as evidence of what a manufacturer can achieve.
Official pre-season action continues with two Bahrain tests that will include media access and live timing. Those sessions run February 11–13 and February 18–20, after which teams have two weeks to prepare for the season opener in Melbourne: practice on Friday March 6, qualifying on Saturday March 7 and the race on Sunday March 8.
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6–8.