Photo: Race Pictures

Why Mercedes and Red Bull are under pressure during the final Bahrain winter test

12:02, 17 Feb

Updated: 12:28, 17 Feb

byKada Sarkozi

The final pre-season test of the 2026 season is up next in Formula 1, with pressure already piling on the frontrunners in the competition.

Mercedes and Red Bull Racing

On the first day of last week's test, Toto Wolff delivered quite a statement: the RB22 is the current benchmark. Red Bull Racing's technical director, Pierre Waché, quickly downplayed the advantage mentioned by Wolff.

With the final pre-season test being broadcast in full, more fans will be watching these top teams to see how they compare, after much discussion over the previous week about who is better. Mercedes set the quickest lap times on Friday, but GPS traces of different cars confirmed that Red Bull was consistently faster than Mercedes on the straights.

Moreover, both teams experienced issues that limited their running during some sessions last week.

As for Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, he was happy that the spotlight is not on his team, and happy to only focus on themselves.

Photo: Race Pictures

Aston Martin

After they were unable to attend the Barcelona shakedown test, Williams was among the top teams in terms of laps completed during the first three days of testing in Bahrain.

Aston Martin now needs a similarly productive three-day run at the Bahrain International Circuit. The Silverstone-based team had limited running in Barcelona, and encountered a data anomaly issue on Wednesday in Sakhir as well, so it is important for Adrian Newey's team to finish on a strong note this week.

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