Mercedes were the standout performers of the Barcelona shakedown tests and already look ready to claim the role of early favourites.
Silver Arrows still at the top
Are Mercedes really back at the top of Formula 1? Of course, it is still far too early to say for sure, but the first signs emerging from the Barcelona shakedown tests certainly look encouraging for the Silver Arrows. The W17 cars driven by Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have so far appeared extremely reliable and also – at least for what such behind-closed-doors tests can indicate – fairly quick. Or, at the very least, they are reaching competitive speeds earlier than their rivals.
Even on day four, the two black-and-silver drivers set the fastest times and completed a combined total of 168 laps. Only Ferrari, with the Charles Leclerc–Lewis Hamilton pairing, spent more time on track. Over the three days of running – which Mercedes completed today – the total number of laps reached 502, equivalent to around 2,338 kilometres. Not a bad start at the beginning of a brand-new technical regulation cycle that represents a major break from the past.
At the end of the day, George Russell did not hide his satisfaction, while keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
Russell speaks
“It was another satisfying day and, overall, a positive test for us here in Barcelona. The car is pleasant to drive,” the Englishman said, “but above all we completed a lot of kilometres without encountering any major issues. We solved the small problems we came across, which is exactly the purpose of these tests. The car is working well, but we know that what really matters is the speed it can achieve. We don’t have any indications on that yet, so we will have to wait until Bahrain to get an idea of the relative pecking order. It’s still early days, but we can be happy with the solid foundations we have laid.”
The conclusion of the Barcelona shakedown marks a flawless start for the Mercedes W17, establishing a benchmark for reliability that the rest of the grid will be scrambling to match. By logging over 500 laps without major mechanical setbacks, the team has provided George Russell and Kimi Antonelli with a stable platform to begin exploring the true performance limits of the 2026 regulations. While the true hierarchy remains a mystery until the Sakhir circuit, the “pleasant” handling and structural integrity shown by the Silver Arrows suggest that the Brackley engineers have interpreted the new rules with their trademark precision. This successful foundation ensures that Mercedes will head into official testing with a significant head start in data collection and system optimization.
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