Mercedes fears it is well behind Red Bull with its energy deployment in Formula 1 right now – as it claims it is losing one-second per lap on the straights to its rival.
In the wake of an eye-opening long run head-to-head between Max Verstappen and George Russell on the opening morning of testing in Bahrain on Wednesday, Mercedes says its view on the F1 formbook has changed completely.
Just a fortnight after many had installed Mercedes as the clear favourites for the 2026 campaign following a super strong start to testing for its W16 car, the German manufacturer thinks instead that Red Bull is clear.
Mercedes’ judgement today is based not on the overall timing sheet, with Verstappen ending the first morning of running at the top, but instead on the evidence of long-run data that shows just how Red Bull’s RB22 is able to deliver its laptimes so easily and consistently.
Analysis of GPS traces of the different cars that have been seen by The Race have confirmed how the Red Bull is clear of Mercedes in terms of the speed it is unable to unleash lap after lap on the straights - which is the result of it having a decisive advantage when it comes to energy deployment.
Speaking during the lunch break in Bahrain testing on Wednesday, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reckoned the margin that Red Bull had was significant.
“They are able to deploy far more energy on the straights than everybody else,” he said.
“I mean, I'm speaking a second per lap, over consecutive laps.”
Wolff said that “at the moment” Mercedes was unable to deploy its battery power in the same way that Red Bull could – especially over multiple laps.
And in a season where having more energy deployment on tap could be significant in terms of deciding results, it has left Wolff feeling that Red Bull is now “very much” the benchmark.
“On a single lap we have seen it before - but now we have seen it on 10 consecutive laps with the same kind of straight line deployment,” said Wolff.
“I would say that, as per today, on the first official day of testing, which is always with the caveat of that, they've set the benchmark.”
Red Bull’s pace and reliability with its brand new power unit earned the praise of rivals in the Barcelona test – and it seems to have shone even more in Bahrain.
And for Wolff, it has served as a reality check that the fight for the championship is going to be more open than many suspected just a few days ago.
Speaking about Red Bull’s potential, he added: “I was hoping that they were worse than they are, because they've done a very good job.
“The car, their powerunit, are the benchmark at the moment, I would say. And then obviously you have Max in the car. That combination is strong.”
