George Russell believes he has been handed a car ready to win the world championship as Mercedes head into a new era for Formula One as the title favourites.
SO much to look forward to in February 🗓️ The countdown to F1 2026 really ramps up 💪 pic.twitter.com/skJk4bipSX
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 1, 2026
Under the leadership of Toto Wolff, Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles between 2014 and 2021.
Since Russell joined in 2022 they have struggled to keep pace with Red Bull and McLaren.
However, a major upheaval of the sport's technical rulebook for the new season means a fresh start for all the teams on the grid.
Mercedes caught the eye in last week's first test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya by boasting both impressive speed and reliability, with the bookmakers making Russell favourite for his first world title.
"I feel ready to fight for a world championship, and whether we have that tag as favourites above us or not, it doesn't change my approach one single bit," said the British driver at Mercedes' digital launch on Monday.
"There are a lot of things we need to learn very quickly, but I feel I can take advantage of that and I feel confident in myself and in the team."
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen will lead Red Bull's challenge, aiming to regain the title after losing out to Lando Norris last season.
Russell and Verstappen have clashed on and off the track in recent years and the former is relishing the prospect of a title battle to add to the feud between the pair.
"I would love that. He is very much going to be in the fight this year," added Russell.
"You obviously wish you had a slightly easier time of it, but it should never be easy, and if you are going to win, you want to have fought for it and won it fair and square on track.
"The best-case scenario is if you have a number of teams battling it out, and at the moment it does look like Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and ourselves are the four teams that are quite close."
Wolff is relieved to have what appears a competitive car at the front of the grid after four seasons of disappointment, but is not getting carried away despite a positive first test session.
"It is always nice if your driver is the favourite with the bookmakers, and he (Russell) deserves it because he is one of the best," said the Austrian.
"But it is always the best driver and the best car that wins, and we have not proven yet that we have a package that is good enough."
There will be two three-day tests in Bahrain later this month before the season begins in Australia on March 8.