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Red Bull rejects 'benchmark' tag as Bahrain mind games heat up
Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché disputes Mercedes' claims about the team's performance advantage.
Published on Feb. 13, 2026
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Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché has officially entered the ring to trade blows with Toto Wolff in a war of words over who truly holds the upper hand ahead of the start of the 2026 season. While the Mercedes boss has spent the week in Bahrain publicly labeling Red Bull as the "benchmark" of the new era, Waché is busy painting a much grimmer picture for the Milton Keynes outfit, claiming that Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are currently ahead of them in performance.
Why it matters
The battle between Red Bull and Mercedes over who is the true favorite heading into the new season is heating up, with both teams engaging in a war of words to gain a psychological edge. This back-and-forth could set the tone for the entire 2026 campaign and impact how the teams approach the opening races.
The details
According to Waché, Red Bull's analysis shows that they are currently behind the top three teams of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren in terms of overall performance. He cites specific weaknesses in the car's traction and energy management compared to their rivals. However, Waché acknowledges the difficulty in accurately assessing performance due to differences in fuel loads and engine modes being run during testing.
- The 2026 Formula 1 season is set to begin in March.
The players
Pierre Waché
The technical director of the Red Bull Formula 1 team.
Toto Wolff
The team principal of the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
Max Verstappen
The reigning Formula 1 world champion and driver for Red Bull.
Isack Hadjar
A driver for the Red Bull Formula 1 team.
What they’re saying
“It's difficult to say [where we are], but we are not the benchmark for sure. We clearly see the top three teams; Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are in front of us. It looks like, from what our analysis is, that we are behind.”
— Pierre Waché, Red Bull Technical Director (f1i.com)
“I'm never happy with my own work! Clearly, we have some improvements to do, some challenges around this type of regulation.”
— Pierre Waché, Red Bull Technical Director (f1i.com)
“We clearly see some weaknesses in our car, and we relate it to these weaknesses and the feedback that we have from Max and Isack [Hadjar] on the car, based on where we lose time to the others.”
— Pierre Waché, Red Bull Technical Director (f1i.com)
What’s next
The 2026 Formula 1 season is set to begin with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in March, where the true pecking order of the teams will become clearer.
The takeaway
The battle between Red Bull and Mercedes over who is the true favorite heading into the 2026 season is intensifying, with both teams engaging in a war of words to gain a psychological edge. However, Red Bull's technical director Pierre Waché appears to be taking a more cautious and analytical approach, acknowledging his team's current weaknesses and the difficulty in accurately assessing performance during pre-season testing.
