F1 testing: Why Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull claim they are not the fastest team after Bahrain test | F1 News

There is always a mystery in Formula 1 testing as to which team actually has the fastest car, but the 2026 pre-season conundrum is shaping up to be one of the most confusing and complex in the history of the sport.

With two-thirds of the extended testing schedule completed, any thoughts of a complete overhaul of the established order have been dispelled, but who is the fastest of the ‘big four’ remains up for debate.

Listed in the order in which they finished last year’s constructors’ championship, McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari all insist they are not the fastest and that at least one is faster.

In years past it may have been easier for neutral observers to work out who was telling the truth, but the introduction of new chassis and power units as part of radical new regulations for the 2026 season means there are many unknowns.

Speaking in the closing stages of the on-track action on Friday, Ski Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz likened the situation to a game of “pass the pack”, but why is it all so convoluted?

Who impressed in Bahrain?

Looking at the numbers alone, Mercedes set the fastest times of the week – both coming on Friday – while Kimi Antonelli posted a 1:33.669, a few tenths ahead of team-mate George Russell.

Ferrari was next on the grid, half a second behind Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were separated by less than a tenth. Then came the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris a few tenths further, followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

In terms of mileage, McLaren’s total of 422 laps beat Ferrari by just one lap, Red Bull completed 343 laps after a hydraulic break on Thursday morning, while Mercedes were limited to 282 laps due to several different issues.

Although a high number of laps is an indicator of good reliability, which is key, the lead times must still be taken with a grain of salt at this stage, as teams are unlikely to unleash their full pace at this stage.

Perhaps the most reliable indicator of performance at this stage is the race simulations, and it was in this area that Ferrari excelled. After the SF-26 upgrades were brought in on Thursday, Leclerc and Hamilton posted consistent fast times in the evening sessions over the last two days.

Verstappen was also quick on the first day on the long tracks, while McLaren was a few tenths off the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull, judging by Norris and Piastri’s numbers.

Mercedes were outclassed on long stretches as well until Antonelli managed to match Hamilton’s race simulation in the final hour of the test, but overall, Ferrari offered the most impressive all-round performance of the week.

Is Mercedes lurking in the sand amid engine dispute?

Pre-season testing is held every year with the warning that all may not be as it seems, with teams potentially looking to hide their true performance until the first qualifying session of the season, which this year takes place at the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8.

However, Mercedes potentially have more motivation than usual not to unleash their full performance, or ‘sandbag’ as it’s known in the paddock, at this stage.

The biggest talking point in pre-season has been the row over the new power units, centered on compression ratio limits amid suggestions from rivals that Mercedes and Red Bull may have found a way to deliver a higher limit than what is theoretically imposed by the new regulations.

Mercedes and Red Bull initially dismissed suggestions that the rules could be changed, but it became clear ahead of the Bahrain test that the latter had joined three other engine manufacturers in lobbying the FIA ​​to “level the playing field”.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff came out swinging at his team launch on February 2 when he suggested the rivals should “get it together”, but struck a much more conciliatory tone in Bahrain this week as he appeared to accept that a rule change had become a real possibility.

The lobbying of Mercedes’ rival manufacturers was only reinforced by the Silver Arrows’ flawless display in Barcelona at the end of January, where most of them felt they were a clear step ahead of the rest of the field.

With an F1 commission meeting next week where a decision could be made, some theorized that it was not in Mercedes’ interest to remain clear leaders at the first test in Bahrain.

For this reason, at least in part, Mercedes’ claims that Red Bull is much faster than them are viewed with skepticism.

Characteristically open about his view on the matter was four-time world champion Verstappen, who said: “Obviously they’re trying to shift the focus to us because we did so many laps on Wednesday. But you have to look at it from both sides. Just wait until Melbourne and see how quickly they go straight all at once.”

Leclerc shared a similar sentiment, speaking Ski Sports F1: “I think we’ve seen a few things on the Mercedes engine that are very impressive and they don’t show any of that. And when I say any of that, we’re talking a lot.”

But what about Red Bull’s deployment advantage?

While there seems to be something of a consensus outside of Mercedes – and the three other teams (McLaren, Williams and Alpine) they supply engines to – that some performance is being held back, there is, of course, politics at play.

It makes perfect sense that Ferrari, Audi and Honda, each of which allegedly failed to exploit the compression hole, would want something done, but what about Red Bull.

Back at their very early launch in January, Red Bull engine boss Ben Hodgkinson described complaints about the compression ratio as “much ado about nothing”, but it is now understood to be aligned with those calling for a rule change.

It’s unclear why this is, but Red Bull has greatly exceeded expectations with its first foray into engine manufacturing, producing top-notch reliability to date, while also apparently developing what is currently the industry’s leading power handling system.

Mercedes focused on this set-up system this week while Wolff claimed that Red Bull were actually setting a “benchmark”. It’s also worth noting that others were also moved by Red Bull’s performance, with Leclerc describing them as “very impressive”.

The complexity of the new power units makes it hard to pinpoint where Red Bull might have the edge, but Russell described it as “somewhere between hardware and application”.

Red Bull’s apparent change of position in the compression ratio dispute suggests that Mercedes may have made better use of that area, and that they may need the Silver Arrows’ unit reined in to make their own efficiency advantage effective.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how Red Bull team principal Laurent Mackis, who has been away in Bahrain this week following a planned minor operation, approaches the subject next week.

Why is the excitement of Ferrari missing?

Normally, a week like the one Ferrari had would generate massive excitement around the sport’s most popular team.

Granted, we only heard from Lewis Hamilton before he drove an upgrade that appears to drastically improve the SF-26, but the seven-time world champion didn’t express a huge amount of optimism or enthusiasm about his prospects.

Leclerc and Ferrari boss Fred Vassuer have played down hopes by insisting their arch-rivals are holding back a significant performance, but no F1 team would ever at this stage say they think they are ahead.

So it’s probably more useful to assess expert opinions coming from elsewhere in the paddock, with rival pit walls best placed to judge who really has the fastest car.

So it was noticeable that for the first time this pre-season the mood swung somewhat in Ferrari’s favor on Friday, although questions remained about how much Mercedes might be holding back.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said on Friday night: “The early indicators from a competitiveness point of view, I think, definitely put Ferrari and Mercedes at the top of the list, in terms of who look ready from a performance point of view, in particular.

Frankly, even being in the discussion is an improvement for Ferrari, after they went from being considered pre-season contenders to failing to win a Grand Prix all year in a dismal 2025.

What about the title defense at McLaren?

McLaren is in an interesting position, given that their engines are supplied by Mercedes.

Unlike other Mercedes, Williams and Alpine customers, they have chosen to largely stay out of the engine compression ratio debate.

Regardless of where they currently stand in relation to Mercedes, McLaren will no doubt want the claims of Mercedes’ powertrain to be the most powerful to be true, as it will set them up for continued success during this rules generation.

Therefore, the ratings of Stella, along with the current world champion Lando Norris, that Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull are faster than them, would not seem political.

“We’re not very close to them at the moment,” Norris said of Ferrari on Thursday. “We’re certainly not bad, but we’re not fast enough.”

Despite McLaren winning the last two constructors’ titles and fielding an all-star technical team, Mercedes, as a works team, was widely expected to have the edge over them at least at the start of this season.

When considering their prospects, it’s worth heeding the words of Vaseur, who insists that while there’s a lot of hype around the current competition picture, it’s a long season that will be decided by development.

“A year ago everyone was scrambling to find hundredths of a second, now it’s more about tenths,” Wasser said. “The competition will be much more on the development than the initial potential of the car.”

Ski Sports F1 testing schedule in Bahrain

Second Test: Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th February

• 6.50-11.05: Morning live session
• 11.55-16.10: Afternoon live session
• 20:00: Cover testing

Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8. Stream Ski Sports from NOW – no contract, cancel anytime