P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull ‘like a brand-new team’ after impressing rivals at F1 shakedown
Mercedes F1 driver George Russell has begun playing mind games for the 2026 season, suggesting that Red Bull appears like a completely new team following impressive testing sessions. With the introduction of new regulations, fans are eager to discern which team has mastered these changes and predict the competitive order for the upcoming Australian Grand Prix in March. The extensive 11 days of testing provide ample speculation opportunities for fans to analyze each mini session. Although Mercedes showed strength on the first day of testing in Barcelona with Russell completing 95 laps, it was Red Bull that topped the timesheets with Isack Hadjar clocking 1:18.159. Red Bull has embarked on a new power unit era and under the guidance of Laurent Mekies after the departure of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. As the season progresses, the rivalry between Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could potentially ignite fireworks on the track.
