Mercedes leaves Barcelona having aced the first pre-season tests, completing 500 laps in just three days and demonstrating reliability beyond the team’s expectations. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell ran multiple race simulations without issues, focusing primarily on understanding the new Power Unit. With the Spanish tests now behind them, the team will shift its focus to performance work in Bahrain.
Five hundred laps in three days, plenty of smiles, and a growing sense of confidence heading into the next tests at Sakhir in mid-February. Mercedes exits Barcelona with more certainty than doubt—a result far from guaranteed given that the team is dealing with one of the most significant technical revolutions in Formula 1 history.
Completely redesigned Power Units, revised aerodynamics, and numerous systems to test following extensive factory work meant the team had to approach the first tests cautiously. The main objective in Barcelona was to accumulate as many laps as possible to verify reliability and validate the W17 against predicted performance data.
On this front, Mercedes left Spain with plenty of reasons to smile. By the end of the second day, engineers already admitted they were ahead of schedule—a signal that immediately boosted confidence. Adding to this, 167 laps were completed on the final day, bringing the total to 500 laps over just three days—almost fifty more than the team managed last year in Bahrain.
“Yes, I think it was a good shakedown. We did a lot of laps today as well, so really great mileage for the team, and I’m happy because I’m learning a lot about the car. Now I can’t wait to get to Bahrain,” Antonelli said after his morning stint, before handing the car over to Russell.
This milestone was also thanks to the multiple race simulations completed by both Antonelli and Russell over the two days, without any major reliability issues that could have slowed track work. Minor problems that did arise were easily resolved and never forced the drivers to stay in the garage longer than expected.
Yesterday, Mercedes focused on harder tyres; today, the programme shifted to softer compounds with a clear goal: understanding how the car behaves at higher cornering speeds, both in terms of balance and Power Unit performance. This work was also crucial to optimise braking energy recovery and identify setup adjustments for better corner entry balance.
“In the end, we maintained a programme similar to yesterday because the aim was still to do long runs. We certainly tried different modes to better understand the battery and how it behaves. Today, however, we focused more on the soft tyres, even during long runs, to see how the car responded and, most importantly, how the Power Unit reacted at higher corner entry speeds. It was really interesting,” explained Russell.
Having completed the Barcelona tests a day ahead of some other teams, Mercedes is already looking ahead to Sakhir, where the focus will shift more towards extracting pure performance—without losing sight of reliability. Longevity and consistency will remain key metrics.
“We’re definitely heading to Bahrain with confidence and high hopes because things have gone well so far. Obviously, we had a few issues during the shakedown, but we managed to resolve them, and now we can be reasonably confident of a solid start there. We’ll also have a better understanding of the car, so it will be steady progress and continuous learning,” Antonelli added.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, confirmed the positive assessment of the three days in Barcelona and outlined the next steps for Sakhir. There, the team will start exploring setup options to unlock more performance from the W17, both aerodynamically and in tyre management.
Temperatures in Spain, sometimes dipping below 5°C, did not replicate the conditions the teams will face during the majority of the season. Unsurprisingly, some teams struggled to bring tyres into the correct operating window, causing graining on the front left tyre—an expected behaviour given the cold conditions and the characteristics of the Barcelona circuit.
“From a reliability perspective, it’s been a good week for us. The car allowed us to follow the programme exactly as planned over all three days, which is what we were hoping for coming to Barcelona. It’s a great testament to the work done by everyone in Brackley and Brixworth to deliver this car. We also made good progress on some of the issues encountered during the first two days, which is encouraging,” Shovlin explained.
“That said, in Barcelona we focused primarily on validating the W17. In Bahrain, we’ll move to exploring setups, which isn’t really possible here in such cold conditions. That will give us a much clearer idea of the car’s true potential as we approach the 2026 season.”
Mercedes’ commanding performance in Barcelona suggests that the Brackley squad has mastered the initial complexities of the 2026 technical transition, prioritizing a reliable and high-mileage platform. By completing 500 laps without significant failure, they head to Bahrain with a massive data advantage that will be crucial for fine-tuning the W17’s performance. This successful shakedown marks a promising first chapter for the Antonelli-Russell era as they prepare for the competitive challenges ahead.
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