The exciting game of hide and seek, which is a major aspect of Formula 1 pre-season testing at such a high level, is gradually being understood, and the initial results from Bahrain indicate a change in the power relationship.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has been unusually frank in his evaluation of the competition and has admitted that his team is currently behind two major rivals.
After a thorough collection of long-run data, the Woking-based team has acknowledged that both Mercedes and Ferrari have run faster race simulations and thus set a very high standard for everyone else on the grid as the 2026 season approaches.
Andrea Stella Places Ferrari and Mercedes at the Top of the Pecking Order
The McLaren team principal was both careful and honest in his comments about the Bahrain data.
On one hand, he pointed out that testing times should always be doubted to some extent, but on the other hand, Stella confirmed that the work done in the simulators by Lewis Hamilton, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Charles Leclerc set a very high standard.
By stating that both the Silver Arrows and the Scuderia were “quicker than us, ” the McLaren chief has pinpointed exactly the rivals his team will be going after even before the Australian season opener.
Mercedes and Ferrari Set the Early Benchmark
Results in testing leaderboards are frequently deceiving as a consequence of different fuel loads and engine modes; however, the regularity of the race simulations reveals true performance more clearly. Stella highlighted the data collected at the end of the Bahrain session, pointing out that the simulation work by Lewis Hamilton and the Scuderia looked quite close matches.
Ferrari SF, 26 stands out as the main topic of the paddock for a very stable platform and excellent tyre management; on the other hand, Mercedes looks to have achieved instant reliability and power from their new power unit.
