George Russell welcomed Formula 1’s smoother 2026 cars, claiming they will “save a few years on the back”.
From 2022, teams ran their cars low and stiff to maximise downforce from the ground effect Venturi tunnels that ran under the floor.
As a consequence, some, notably Russell’s Mercedes team, struggled with porpoising, when the car would bounce violently at high speed.
This triggered concerns by drivers about the long-term health of their backs, with Lewis Hamilton memorably struggling to exit his car following the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
For 2026, F1 has returned to flat floors, meaning increased rake, where the rear is higher than the front, and making life more comfortable for those behind the wheel.
“The car is feeling nice to drive,” Russell admitted during last week’s Barcelona shakedown.
“No major issues, no porpoising – which is pretty good news for all of us, it will save us a few years on the back, so all in all a decent few days.”
No music. Just the W17 🔊 pic.twitter.com/fQyxbf8viU
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) January 26, 2026
This year also sees the introduction of new power units, with a significant increase in electrical power from a larger battery and revised MGU-K.
During simulation runs, it was suggested that drivers might have to take extreme measures to save and harvest energy during a lap.
But Russell’s first impressions appear to ease those fears.
“The way I would describe it is like if you’re driving your car up a hill, you’re still going flat out, but you’re losing a bit of speed, and you may just downshift to give you a bit of extra revs to get up that hill,” he explained.
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“That’s how it sometimes feels when the engine is harvesting, and you’re really regenerating the battery.
“So there are occasions that you can downshift at the end of the straight, even while you’re flat out.
“But it felt more bizarre in the simulator than it did in reality, to be honest. I spoke with a few other drivers, and we actually commented on the same. So that was quite intuitive.”
Mercedes head into this year as the favourites, as new power unit regulations offer the opportunity of another 2014-style resurgence.
Though the Brackley-based outfit completed the most laps in Spain, Russell is being coy about their chances.
“On the power unit side, there’s some impressive things from some of our competitors, and that’s quite surprising to be honest,” he noted, pointing at Ferrari and Red Bull.
“Obviously, we’re three days into a 24-race season, so you don’t want to [read] too much into that.
“But I think a lot of people anticipated the new power unit suppliers to be sort of struggling and whatnot, and they’ve had a good test as well. So that’s good for them, but for us, time will tell.
“The car so far has been working well, but it’s not about how well it works, it’s about how quick it goes around the track,” Russell added.
“We don’t really have an indication of that at the moment.”
