Big mileage, early confidence: Mercedes open Barcelona shakedown strongly

Mercedes launched its 2026 Formula 1 campaign in quietly confident fashion as the opening day of the Barcelona Shakedown got underway on Monday, with the team banking heavy mileage and valuable early knowledge from its new W17 silver arrow.

With the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosting the first of five private test days – and teams restricted to running on just three – Mercedes was one of seven outfits to hit the track immediately on Monday, keen to make the most of every available lap.

Kimi Antonelli was handed the keys for the morning session and wasted no time getting to work. As the pitlane opened on a damp circuit, the Italian rookie became the first car out on track, beginning his programme on Intermediate tyres before moving through Pirelli’s C3 Soft and C1 Hard compounds.

By the time the lunch break arrived, Antonelli had completed 56 laps, giving Mercedes its first meaningful insight into how the all-new car behaves across varying conditions and tyre choices.

“It was nice to be back in the car this morning and, more importantly, we've had a productive first day here in Barcelona,” Antonelli said.

“It is early days though. There will be things we discover in the coming days that we can improve but that is the point of testing.

“For now, though, the package overall feels good, and we will look to build on this start over the following two days of running we're allowed here in Barcelona.”

George Russell took over for the afternoon and added a further 95 laps, bringing Mercedes’ total to an impressive 151 laps – just over 700 kilometres – by the end of day one.

Russell: Driving new cars ‘quite intuitive’

For Russell, the focus was not only on mileage but also on adapting to a new generation of Formula 1 machinery, with radically different cars set to define the 2026 era.

“The cars looked really cool out on the circuit and that's positive for our sport,” Russell said. “They are quite different for us as drivers but, once you get your head around it, driving them is quite intuitive.”

Russell also noted the strength of the competition already showing through in the early running.

“We are pleased with our day, but I've also been impressed by several other teams too. The Red Bull power unit has completed a lot of laps which, given that it's their first engine they've built, means they've clearly done a good job.

“Haas also managed a similar amount of running to ourselves, so the Ferrari power unit has also put together plenty of mileage. It's not quite how it was in 2014!

“The sport has evolved so much since then and the level, in every single aspect, is so high now.”

Mileage the priority as Mercedes ticks key boxes

From the pit wall, trackside rngineering director Andrew Shovlin stressed that reliability and understanding – not lap times – were the real targets on day one.

“The main thing we are looking for in the early running of any new car is to make sure we can get plenty of laps in,” Shovlin explained.

“That enables us to get into the learning of our programme in subsequent days. Today was all about understanding the car, therefore, making sure it stabilised at the correct temperatures, and ensure we could do our long runs. It is positive that we were able to achieve that.

“We don't know where we stand in terms of performance, but we've proved we are able to keep the car out on the track and that is testament to the hard work of everyone at both our factories.”

With a solid first day in the books and two more days of running still available to them in Barcelona, Mercedes leaves the opening chapter of 2026 testing encouraged – armed with data, distance, and a clear foundation to build upon.

Read also:

Barcelona F1 test – Day 1: Red Bull’s Hadjar leads the way

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook