Zak Brown ranks McLaren behind Ferrari and Mercedes in Bahrain testing. McLaren CEO Zak Brown discusses the team’s performance compared to Ferrari and Mercedes.

McLaren reveals impressions on Ferrari and Mercedes at Bahrain tests

Zak Brown has stated that McLaren currently trails Ferrari and Mercedes, highlighting the team’s position during the Bahrain pre-season tests. The CEO’s comments came during a press conference where Fred Vasseur and Toto Wolff were also present.

Testing in Bahrain has confirmed that the four top teams remain strong, but McLaren believes Ferrari and Mercedes hold a slight advantage. An additional concern is Red Bull, which has yet to show its true potential.

McLaren slightly behind top teams

As Zak Brown emphasized, Ferrari and Mercedes have demonstrated strong form in these Bahrain tests and appear to be ahead of McLaren. The certainty is that the battle among the four leading teams remains tightly matched, and these squads will compete for the positions that matter most.

“I think we will be among the four top teams. I don’t believe we are absolutely first, but it will be a long season with a lot of development,” he told the media, including F1inGenerale. “I think the guys in red and the ones in silver look very strong, and I don’t think we’ve seen everything from Red Bull yet,” he added.

The impression is that the car developed in Milton Keynes is highly competitive. One potential strength could be its electrical component, which has remained largely hidden until now.

Insights on the strength of the teams

It’s clear that, at this stage of the season, every team claims to be chasing its rivals. This serves the teams’ interests by diverting attention to other squads. The reality is that it is still difficult to establish a precise ranking of performance seen on track. Nevertheless, the championship is likely to be contested among the usual four teams.

Zak Brown also highlighted the apparent gap between the top teams and the rest of the field. Compared to previous years, there seems to be a larger margin behind the leading squads. Even in the midfield, a more significant gap appears to have emerged compared to what we’ve seen in recent seasons.

Zak Brown has therefore positioned McLaren as a contender within the top four for the 2026 season, while acknowledging that Ferrari and Mercedes appear to have a head start in performance and Red Bull remains a dangerous, hidden threat heading into Melbourne.