As Formula 1 prepares to return to the track in Bahrain for the next round of 2026-focused testing, Andrea Stella has played down Ferrari’s role and issued a warning about the team that currently appears to be the strongest.
The first five days of shakedown running in Barcelona have not yet provided a clear performance hierarchy, but one message has still emerged with some clarity. According to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, it was above all Mercedes that impressed with its solidity and level of preparation, even more so than Ferrari, to the point of having “raised the bar” in this first glimpse of the 2026 season.
The Brackley-based team recorded the highest mileage of the entire Catalan event, completing around 500 laps over the three days available. While this figure does not directly point to outright performance, it does highlight an already very high level of reliability at a stage when almost all teams are still exploring the behaviour of their new cars and power units.
Stella impressed by Mercedes’ work
“In terms of performance it is obviously very difficult to give an objective evaluation,” Andrea Stella explained. “We do not know the programmes of the other teams, their fuel loads or the priorities each one has. On top of that, the environmental conditions were quite different from those we normally encounter during race weekends.”
Despite these necessary cautions, the Italian manager acknowledged that at least three teams have started the new regulatory cycle on the right foot. “It is clear that there are at least three competitors, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, that have had a good start,” he underlined. “In particular, the Brackley team has definitely raised the bar, and we will have to work hard to do the same.”
Another interesting aspect, according to Andrea Stella, concerns the engine picture that has emerged from the tests. “The fact that the three teams mentioned use three different power units is an initial indication that, at least for now, there do not seem to be extremely marked differences in terms of absolute performance between some suppliers.”
The real test, however, will arrive very soon. In Bahrain, where the official pre-season tests will take place, the teams will begin to push a little further in the search for performance, gradually setting aside purely exploratory programmes.
For McLaren, as for the rest of the grid, the objective will be to close the gap shown in terms of reliability and initial readiness. Because even if Barcelona does not award titles, the message sent by Mercedes has already been received loud and clear by everyone.
As the teams pack their crates for the heat of Sakhir, the psychological games of the paddock are already in full swing. Whether Mercedes’ early reliability is a definitive sign of dominance or simply a different testing philosophy remains to be seen, but the pressure is now firmly on the chasing pack to respond. With the 2026 regulations resetting the clock for everyone, every lap in the upcoming tests will be crucial in determining if the current hierarchy holds firm or if a new leader is ready to emerge from the shadows.
Leave a Reply