Red Bull driver with bad news: 'My team won't win the championship'

20:02, 27 Jan

byEstéban den Toom

Dutch sim racer Jarno Opmeer is already tipping the 2026 Formula 1 world champion, and it’s not Red Bull Racing.

Despite his ties to the Milton Keynes-based team, Opmeer believes Mercedes is poised to dominate the season.

After about two and a half hours on the opening day of testing, he was convinced of which team would come out on top. Andrea Kimi Antonelli led the timesheets for Mercedes, ahead of Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and Isack Hadjar of Red Bull Racing.

Hadjar in his Red Bull outfit - Photo: Red Bull Contentpool

“I have seen enough. Mercedes 2026 world champion,” Opmeer wrote on X, confidently making his prediction for the season ahead.

Hadjar tops timing sheet in Barcelona

Despite Opmeer's early prediction, Hadjar would go on to clock the quickest time of the grid on the opening day of testing in Barcelona. The young French driver recorded a time of 1:18.835 to top the timing sheet ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in the morning session.

Hadjar would continue on a similar trajectory during the afternoon session, leading the field ahead of George Russell, who went second fastest.

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