'Red Bull is the new benchmark', and Wolff is ready to hand the favourite tag over

Answering GPblog's question, the Mercedes CEO and team boss was certain: Red Bull is the new benchmark.

"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," he said.

Over the past weeks, Mercedes wore the favourites tag in Formula 1, with the bookies also giving the lowest odds for the Germans to succeed this year in the competition.

Wolff was now ready to pass that tag over to the Milton Keynes-based team and Max Verstappen.

At the moment, it's impossible to know the fuel load and what engine modes the team's were using in Sakhir. GPS data reportedly suggests that Red Bull has the upper hand, but in the end, a Mercedes-powered car set the fastest time today, with Lando Norris marginally quicker than Max Verstappen.

Under-promising and over-delivering can help set Mercedes up well for the first part of the season and temper expectations, rather than entering the year with anything short of dominance in Melbourne viewed as a disappointment.

Having this narrative on your side can be very valuable, as Verstappen took advantage of that during his title battle in 2025 against the two McLaren drivers, Norris and Oscar Piastri. Week in, week out, the Dutchman managed to increase the pressure on his rivals.

Wolff is one of the best in the business, and certainly knows how to set the tone to put his team in the best possible position.