Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says Red Bull Powertrains has done a \u201cgood job\u201d with its first engine, after a seemingly strong debut in the Barcelona shakedown run.<\/p>\n
Reminded that the Red Bull<\/a> Powertrains Ford operation has been brought together with a large number of staff poached from Mercedes, as previously mentioned by Christian Horner, Wolff now waits to see how all the manufacturers will compare when \u201cthe stopwatch actually\u201d comes into play.<\/p>\n Toto Wolff: Red Bull has \u2018done a good job\u2019<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n With new chassis and engine regulations in effect for F1 2026, all teams bar Williams got a first feel for the new creations in Barcelona, as part of a five-day private test, held between 26-30 January.<\/p>\n The test was closed to the media, though updates did trickle through via unofficial sources. One of the biggest talking points was how reliable all the new engines appeared to be.<\/p>\n The Mercedes, Red Bull Ford and Ferrari engines all seemed to run with very few interruptions. Audi bounced back from some initial teething issues with their R26, while Aston Martin did not get enough laps in for a true read on the Honda creation.<\/p>\n When speaking with PlanetF1.com and others, it was put to Wolff that the pre-F1 2026 talk was that of engines being a big performance differentiator, yet Barcelona suggested that there is not much of a spread between the manufacturers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s another example where so much is being made up in performance differentiation in a certain area,\u201d Wolff responded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen, in terms of pure performance on a lap, and even over several laps, it\u2019s looked like that there is no one that it is really collapsing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really happy how it went for us, in the sense of interaction, power unit deployment and the chassis.<\/p>\n \u201cBut having said that, we had a solid three days, that is something to build upon, but we don\u2019t have really a performance picture yet.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we haven\u2019t seen Max [Verstappen] driving the car fast, and we haven\u2019t seen McLaren and Ferrari doing what they can do.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I would carefully refrain from saying that was great for us. We simply don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n More on F1 2026 from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Mercedes rivals pushing for Australian GP rule change over F1 2026 engine loophole \u2013 report<\/a><\/p>\n Why Norris considers battery management the \u2018biggest challenge\u2019 of F1 2026 rules<\/a><\/p>\n Wolff was pressed on Red Bull specifically, considering that its new engine operation features a lot of former Mercedes staff.<\/p>\n Then Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, spoke back in 2024 of more than 200 people<\/a> being poached from Mercedes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to Red Bull, I think they\u2019ve done a good job,\u201d said Wolff.<\/p>\n \u201c[Isack] Hadjar did 107 laps, I believe, on the first day, and was running reliably, so you\u2019ve got to give them that.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the rest, we will see when the stopwatch actually comes out.\u201d<\/p>\n The first, official pre-season test takes place in Bahrain from 11-13 February, followed by the second test in the nation from 18-20 February.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n