Mercedes has significantly narrowed the performance gap with Red Bull in Formula 1 battery deployment, according to Mercedes driver George Russell, though the Red Bull Powertrains engine remains the benchmark.
Russell’s assessment, made following the conclusion of pre-season testing in Bahrain, marks a shift from earlier concerns about Red Bull’s substantial advantage. Previously, Russell described the Red Bull engine advantage as “pretty scary,” with team principal Toto Wolff estimating a potential lap time difference of up to one second. “Their deployment definitely still looks the best on the grid, which is kudos to them,” Russell told PlanetF1.com and other outlets in Bahrain. “I think it was a bit of a surprise to everybody, so let’s notice come Melbourne how things shake up.”
The improvement comes as Mercedes has been widely touted as a pre-season favorite, alongside Ferrari, after strong showings during testing. Red Bull, meanwhile, appears to be closely matched with McLaren, with the four teams forming a leading group ahead of the rest of the field. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged Mercedes and Ferrari’s pace advantage at this stage of the season.
Russell emphasized that while the gap has “closed drastically,” concerns remain about translating testing gains into race performance. “I think the Mercedes-powered teams have made a lot of improvements since day one of Bahrain last week,” he said. “But we’re obviously [on] day six of Bahrain testing now, whereas in Melbourne, you’ve got three hours of practice and that’s the main point of concern.”
The importance of energy deployment is heightened by the modern regulations for the 2026 season, which place a greater emphasis on electrical power and energy management. Russell believes that variability in energy deployment between cars and drivers will be a key factor in overtaking and racing dynamics. “You definitely can [follow another driver], because there’s less aero on the cars, so there’s less disturbance,” he explained. “I think the big difference this year compared to the previous era is the variability in energy deployment between cars and drivers, depending on driving styles, will probably far outweigh the aero turbulence.”
Circuits with long straights, such as the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, are expected to be particularly sensitive to differences in energy deployment strategies. Russell anticipates that racing on these tracks will be “quite intriguing” as teams and drivers optimize their energy usage.
