George Russell makes Red Bull prediction after Mercedes 'reality check'

George Russell has stated the first pre-season test from Bahrain was a “reality check” for Mercedes as he pointed to the strength of Red Bull.

In the build-up to the current F1 season which features freshly constructed cars under a new set of technical regulations, a lot of noise was made about the strength of Mercedes' package.

The Brackley-based squad impressed at the shakedown event from Barcelona before enduring a more challenging second test in Bahrain.

Last week, it was Red Bull who caught the eye of many rivals - including Russell, who predicted the energy drink squad will be the team to beat at the start of the year.

“I do think this test has been a bit of a reality check for all of us,” Russell told media including RacingNews365. 

“Firstly, a huge amount of chat regarding Mercedes and our power unit in the winter, all of it just speculation, because nobody knows anything at that point.

“The truth is, Red Bull in Barcelona, day one, hit the ground running, well ahead of all of their competitors – ourselves, Ferrari and the others.

“Day one here in Bahrain, again, they knocked it out of the park. At the moment, they’re very much the team to beat.”

F1 teams will have another three days of testing this week to prepare for the opening round in Melbourne next month.

As the teams scramble to learn all they can about their new cars in that time, Russell predicted Red Bull's strong start to testing will leave it in the best shape to set up its car in a short space of time in Australia.

“It’s quite straightforward when you have three days of testing in the same locations to make those improvements,” he said.

“But when you get to Melbourne and you’ve got three practice sessions, three hours of practice before qualifying, based on what we’ve seen in Barcelona and Bahrain, Red Bull are going to be ahead.

“So we’ve got work to do.”