Mercedes send statement with Bahrain test approach

Jolyon Palmer believes Mercedes’ low-key end to Bahrain testing was no accident – it was a statement.

However, the Brackley squad still has some work to do on its race starts as Ferrari continued to make better getaways off the line.

Jolyon Palmer says Mercedes made deliberate Bahrain testing statement

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Pre-season testing concluded last Friday as the teams wrapped up at the Bahrain International Circuit, with Albert Park the next stop as the F1 2026 season begins.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the timesheet in Bahrain with a 1:31.992, putting him eight-tenths up on second-placed Kimi Antonelli. As for George Russell, the Briton’s best time put him P6 with a 1:33.197.

However, Mercedes didn’t only lose out to Ferrari on the timesheet; it also lost out to the Scuderia when it came to launches.

Launches have been one of the big issues during pre-season as teams have struggled to get off the line with the new power units.

The problem stems from removing the MGU-H, as it helped mask turbo lag in the lower rev range. Without it, the cars take longer to reach the ideal start configuration.

Following safety concerns raised by the drivers and team principals, the FIA introduced a blue-light process on Thursday, flashing a few seconds before the procedure to alert the drivers that it was about to begin.

But even then, Mercedes wasn’t able to match Ferrari’s launch, although Russell did manage to stay ahead of Leclerc on Friday evening. He started from pole position, with Leclerc P5 and tucked up under Russell’s rear wing into Turn 1.

“Well, to be honest, the start, he started from pole and he just about held off Charles from fifth. Yeah, he was the first into the first corner, but I still think that they’ve got a little bit of work to do in that area,” former F1 driver Palmer told F1’s official YouTube channel.

Analyse: What we learned from the Bahrain test

F1 2026 vs 2025: Bahrain lap-time data delivers rule change verdict

F1 testing conclusions: Bring back V10s, fresh Aston Martin hope, secret Ferrari weapon

But while Mercedes has yet to nail the starts, Palmer reckons the team is happy with its new W17, so much so the drivers didn’t feel the need to go for all-out performance runs as testing concluded.

“They’ve frustrated me because they didn’t go for performance, I’m all about chucking it on, go for it at the end,” he continued. “But that speaks volumes.

“The car looks good. Reliability has been a little bit more questionable, so that’s something hanging over them. And we’re, basically, with Mercedes, going off vibes, aren’t we?

“Well, the car looks good, but they’ve just not shown anything. They did long runs last week, they’ve not done any race runs this week. Smacks of confidence that they don’t need to go and do that.

“They’ve not done any quali runs at the end of the day. Smacks of confidence that they don’t feel they need to go and show their hand. They just, they were nowhere near it.

“So, car looks good. Drivers, so happy, love everything about this year so far. You have to feel that they have a little bit more in play.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Can Adrian Newey and ADUO save Aston Martin’s F1 2026 season?