GEORGE RUSSELL said today he was pleased with his first taste of the Mercedes he hopes will carry him to a maiden world championship.

Russell’s Mercedes were among seven of Formula One’s 11 teams to take part in the opening day of this week’s behind-closed-doors test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

F1 teams have faced a race against time to be ready for the new season following a major upheaval of the sport’s technical rulebook — with the chassis, engines, tyres and fuel all new for 2026.

And there had been fears over reliability problems as teams adjusted to the new regulations. However, Mercedes completed an impressive 151 laps in all, with Russell (95 laps) and team-mate Kimi Antonelli taking turns at the wheel.

Mercedes are tipped to be among the front-runners this year, and Russell has been installed as the early favourite by some bookmakers to dethrone Lando Norris as world champion.

“It’s great to be back out on track driving an F1 car once again,” said Russell, 27, who was one of the grid’s standout performers last season.

“The cars looked really cool out on the circuit and that’s positive for our sport. They are quite different for us as drivers but, once you get your head around it, driving them is quite intuitive.

“It’s enjoyable being behind the wheel and I think there’s a lot for fans to look forward to with these new regulations.

“We are pleased with our day, but I’ve also been impressed by several other teams, too. The Red Bull power unit has completed a lot of laps which, given that it’s their first engine they’ve built, means they’ve clearly done a good job.

“Haas also managed a similar amount of running to ourselves, so the Ferrari power unit has also put together plenty of mileage. The level, in every single aspect, is so high now.”

Russell added: “It is awesome driving these new cars but I am here to compete and I am here to win and that is what I am motivated for.”

Red Bull, Alpine, Haas, Audi, Racing Bulls and new team Cadillac were also in action on day one. McLaren had already ruled themselves out of the first day, with the teams allowed to run only on three of the five days this week.

Williams will not be at the test at all following delays to their new car, while Aston Martin, whose design has been spearheaded by Adrian Newey for the first time, will not break cover until tomorrow at the earliest.

There will be two additional tests — at which media will be allowed access to — in Bahrain next month ahead of the season-opening race in Australia on March 8.