‘We have to get our act together’ – Mercedes boss Wolff points to ‘very, very strong Verstappen’ on first day of testing in Bahrain

Toto Wolff made clear that Mercedes “have to get our act together” as pre-season testing develops at the Bahrain International Circuit, after taking note of a “very, very strong” Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

Mercedes made a smooth, productive start to 2026 and F1’s all-new era of regulations at the recent Barcelona Shakedown, where drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli racked up plenty of laps aboard the team’s W17 challenger.

However, when the F1 paddock reconvened in Sakhir for the first official pre-season test, Wolff turned the focus away from the Silver Arrows and onto the competition – in particular talking up Red Bull and their all-new power unit.

While he noted that “everything goes according to the plan” for Mercedes so far, Wolff continued: “It isn’t smooth sailing. We have complications on the car balance, which are a little bit more articulated here than they were in Barcelona, obviously due to the hot conditions.

“We’ve seen a very, very strong Verstappen, so we have to get our act together, all of us, and then maybe by the end of the test we will understand more whether what we’ve done is good or good enough.”

Pushed on how impressed he has been by Red Bull, with Verstappen topping the first morning of the Bahrain test, Wolff joked: “Well, I was hoping that they were worse than they are!

“They’ve done a very good job. The car, the power unit, are the benchmark at the moment, I would say. Then, obviously, you have Max in the car. That combination is strong.”

Wolff also took a moment to give Mercedes’ stance on the compression ratio chatter – and a perceived advantage his power unit division have been able to find – doing the rounds in the paddock ahead of the new season.

“I think how this whole thing has come about is blown out of proportion,” he said. “If our competitors would know how little difference it makes, the standpoint would be a little bit silly to give it so much importance.

“But this is F1, how it’s always been, there’s political lobbying, trying to influence how the regulations are made, and that’s okay.”

Mercedes and the rest of the F1 field will be back in action when testing resumes in Bahrain on Thursday morning.