Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff rarely hands out compliments to rivals without qualification, but Red Bull’s fledgling power-unit project has earned exactly that — cautious praise wrapped in trademark restraint.
As Formula 1 begins its radical new regulation cycle, the sport’s engine manufacturers are under a microscope.
And after the recent private shakedown in Barcelona, Wolff admitted he has been quietly impressed by what Red Bull Powertrains has shown so far, even if the true hierarchy remains hidden behind closed garage doors.
Barcelona’s five-day behind-the-scenes running offered teams their first meaningful taste of the new chassis and engine combinations.
Though the event was off-limits to media, word filtered through the paddock that reliability – long feared as the weak link of the new formula – was unexpectedly strong across the board.
Mercedes, Ferrari and the Red Bull-Ford partnership reportedly completed their programs with minimal disruption. Audi rebounded after early glitches, while Aston Martin’s Honda package logged too few laps for definitive conclusions.
The early narrative that 2026 engines would create vast performance gaps suddenly looked less certain. Wolff, however, urged caution when asked whether Barcelona hinted at a level playing field.
“It’s another example where so much is being made up in performance differentiation in a certain area,” Wolff told reporters last week in Brackley.
“I’ve seen, in terms of pure performance on a lap, and even over several laps, it’s looked like that there is no one that it is really collapsing.
“I’m really happy how it went for us, in the sense of interaction, power unit deployment and the chassis.
“But having said that, we had a solid three days, that is something to build upon, but we don’t have really a performance picture yet.
“Because we haven’t seen Max [Verstappen] driving the car fast, and we haven’t seen McLaren and Ferrari doing what they can do.
“So I would carefully refrain from saying that was great for us. We simply don’t know.”
Pressed specifically on Red Bull – whose new engine arm famously recruited heavily from Mercedes’ own ranks – Wolff did not dodge the question.
“When it comes to Red Bull, I think they’ve done a good job,” said Wolff. “[Isack] Hadjar did 107 laps, I believe, on the first day, and was running reliably, so you’ve got to give them that.
“And the rest, we will see when the stopwatch actually comes out.”
In other words, admiration – yes. Conclusions – not yet.
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