George Russell has been impressed by the amount of running completed by several rival teams, including Red Bull and Haas, during the opening day of Formula 1’s 2026 Barcelona shakedown.
The first day of running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya proved productive for a number of teams, despite the major changes introduced for the new regulation cycle covering both chassis and power units.
Mercedes completed 151 laps with its new W17, split between Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the morning and Russell in the afternoon. But it was not the only team to log significant mileage, with Haas also exceeding the 150-lap mark and Red Bull passing 100 laps on the opening day.
While new manufacturers Audi and Cadillac had a more complicated start to the test, the overall picture was notably smoother than during the previous major rules reset in 2014, when F1 introduced the V6 turbo-hybrid power units.
Russell said he was encouraged not only by Mercedes’ own running, but also by the progress made elsewhere in the paddock.
“We are pleased with our day, but I’ve also been impressed by several other teams too,” Russell said. “The Red Bull power unit has completed a lot of laps which, given that it’s their first engine they’ve built, means they’ve clearly done a good job.
"Haas also managed a similar amount of running to ourselves, so the Ferrari power unit has also put together plenty of mileage. It’s not quite how it was in 2014! The sport has evolved so much since then and the level, in every single aspect, is so high now.”
Mercedes’ own programme saw Antonelli complete 56 laps in the morning before Russell added a further 95 in the afternoon, taking the team to just over 700 kilometres of running across the day.
The Brackley-based team will skip Tuesday’s running due to rain forecast for the afternoon, with all teams required to choose just three of the five testing days in Barcelona.
"There is lots for us to learn with these new machines so it’s important that we complete as much mileage as we can and build our knowledge," said the Italian driver. "The team at Brackley and Brixworth have done a great job to get us to this position, developing and building a car that has been able to complete over 150 laps on its first proper day of running.
"It is early days though. There will be things we discover in the coming days that we can improve but that is the point of testing. For now, though, the package overall feels good, and we will look to build on this start over the following two days of running we’re allowed here in Barcelona."
Although the 2026 technical reset is significant, the step is considered less extreme than the shift from naturally aspirated V8 engines to turbo-hybrid power units in 2014, which contributed to a far more difficult start for several manufacturers at the time.
