Wolff makes striking admission about Verstappen and Mercedes

After a strong shakedown in Barcelona, many viewed Mercedes as the yardstick heading into the 2026 F1 season, but Wolff – who has always remained cautious about making predictions – sees it differently.

According to the Mercedes team principal, the combination of Red Bull, Verstappen and Red Bull Ford Powertrains is simply the strongest at the moment.

Asked by GPblog to what extent he has been impressed by what he has seen from Red Bull so far, especially after the first morning session of winter testing in Bahrain, Wolff replied: “I was hoping that they were worse than they are, because they've done a very good job. The car, the power unit, (they) are the benchmark at the moment I would say. And then obviously you have Max in the car, that combination is strong.”

Whereas Mercedes was often cited as the reference point in the past, Wolff now explicitly points to Red Bull: “At the moment I would say very much. At the moment I would say very much. Look at their energy deployment today. I mean, speaking a second a lap, over consecutive runs.”

According to Wolff, the difference isn’t only in qualifying runs, but especially in longer stints: “On a single lap we've seen it before, but now we've seen it on ten consecutive laps with the same kind of straight-line deployment. I would say that, especially today on the first official day of testing — which always comes with that caveat — they've set the benchmark today.”

Asked whether Mercedes cannot match Red Bull’s level in terms of energy deployment, a clear answer follows: “Today, no” he says resolutely. Wolff had earlier admitted that his team also takes cues from Red Bull, just as all other F1 teams are doing at the moment.