F1 2026 Pre-Season Testing 2: Full Report

Formula 1’s second and final pre-season test of the 2026 campaign delivered three intense days of running at the Bahrain International Circuit, offering the clearest indication yet of the emerging competitive order.

Across three final days of track time, the spotlight shifted between Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, with George Russell, Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc each topping a day apiece. But as ever in testing, the headline times told only part of the story. Long runs, reliability dramas, experimental upgrades and subtle (suggested) sandbagging all combined to create an intriguing picture ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 6–8.

Day 1: Bahrain

George Russell led the way on Day 1 of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, setting a 1m 33.459s to edge Oscar Piastri by just 0.010s under the floodlights at the Bahrain International Circuit. Charles Leclerc’s morning benchmark secured third, while improving track conditions in the cooler evening air played a decisive role in the late reshuffle at the top. Russell also completed the most laps of any driver, underlining Mercedes’ productive start.

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  F1 2026 Pre-Season Testing 2: Day 1 in Bahrain

The afternoon featured a brief red flag after Lance Stroll beached his Aston Martin in the gravel at Turn 11, while teams focused on gathering data, race simulations, and start procedures. With only two days of testing remaining before the season opener in Australia, every run carried added weight — and with Verstappen set to return to action on Thursday, the competitive picture was expected to evolve further.

Day 1 Times

Pos	Driver	Team	Gap	TYRES USED
1	George Russell	Mercedes	1:33.459	12
2	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	0.01	15
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	0.28	11
4	Lando Norris	McLaren	0.593	14
5	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	0.699	12
6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	0.801	17
7	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	0.84	11
8	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1.654	11
9	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1.795	14
10	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1.804	14
11	Alexander Albon	Williams	2.231	13
12	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	2.294	18
13	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	2.319	12
14	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	2.439	11
15	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	2.515	6
16	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	2.959	15
17	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	3.077	5
18	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	3.282	7
19	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	3.31	12
20	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	3.339	7
21	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	4.732	6
22	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	– –	0

Day 2: Bahrain

Kimi Antonelli led the way on Day 2 of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, clocking a 1m 32.803s lap to head Oscar Piastri by 0.058s and Max Verstappen by just over three-tenths. The afternoon session saw fluctuating conditions and changing leaders, with Verstappen and Piastri both enjoying spells at the top before Antonelli secured the fastest time in the final hour. Verstappen also completed the most laps of the day with 139.

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  F1 2026 Pre-Season Testing 2: Full Report

Fernando Alonso caused a red flag after stopping on track, limiting his running to 68 laps, while Lewis Hamilton worked to recover mileage after a quiet morning. Several teams conducted soft-tyre runs as dusk fell, and the session concluded with a practice race-start procedure, one Ferrari dominated.

Day 2 Times

Pos	Driver	Team	Gap	TYRES USED
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:32.803	22
2	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	0.058	9
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	0.359	21
4	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	0.605	16
5	Lando Norris	McLaren	0.65	15
6	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1.015	29
7	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1.184	15
8	George Russell	Mercedes	1.308	21
9	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1.398	15
10	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1.729	24
11	Alexander Albon	Williams	1.752	22
12	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	2.46	6
13	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	2.476	17
14	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	2.566	11
15	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	4.669	13
16	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	7.39	9
17	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	– –	0
18	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	– –	0
19	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	– –	0
20	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	– –	0
21	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	– –	0
22	Carlos Sainz	Williams	– –	0

Day 3: Bahrain

Charles Leclerc concluded Formula 1’s final pre-season test in Bahrain with an emphatic fastest lap, finishing 0.879 seconds clear of Lando Norris and reinforcing Ferrari’s status as genuine contenders heading into the Australian Grand Prix. Beyond the headline time, Leclerc’s full race simulation in the heat of the afternoon further underlined Ferrari’s competitiveness, while Mercedes — despite strong long-run pace across the test — appeared to keep some performance in hand. Max Verstappen and George Russell were closest in pursuit but unable to match Ferrari’s outright speed on Friday.

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  F1 2026 Pre-Season Testing 2: Day 3 in Bahrain

Elsewhere, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli lost significant track time due to an engine issue, while Aston Martin endured a troubled test, with Lance Stroll completing just six laps amid ongoing reliability concerns. Alpine and Haas look poised to head the midfield battle, with Racing Bulls, Audi and Williams close behind. As teams headed to Melbourne, the early signs pointed to a compelling Ferrari-versus-Mercedes contest at the front.

Day 3 Times

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	Charles Leclerc*	Ferrari	1:31.992	132
2	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.879	47
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+1.117	65
4	George Russell	Mercedes	+1.205	82
5	Pierre Gasly*	Alpine	+1.429	118
6	Oliver Bearman	Haas	+1.495	88
7	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.763	71
8	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+1.924	49
9	Arvid Lindblad*	Racing Bulls	+2.157	165
10	Carlos Sainz*	Williams	+2.350	141
11	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+2.360	66
12	Esteban Ocon	Haas	+2.502	82
13	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	+2.519	59
14	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+3.298	38
15	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+4.027	64
16	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+8.850	61
17	Lance Stroll*	Aston Martin	No time set	6

Competitive Picture Emerging

Across the three days, a narrative began to form:

• Ferrari looks extremely strong over both qualifying simulations and long runs.
• Mercedes appear formidable on single-lap pace and possibly still have performance in reserve.
• McLaren remains consistently in the mix, rarely outside the top three.
• Red Bull showed speed but lacked the authority of Ferrari’s final-day statement.
• Alpine and Haas appear to lead a tightly packed midfield.
• Aston Martin and Cadillac face immediate reliability concerns heading to Melbourne.

Testing times always require context, fuel loads, engine modes, and development programmes vary significantly, but Ferrari’s Friday performance has undeniably shifted momentum.

What next?

Attention now turns fully to Melbourne and the season-opening race at the Albert Park Circuit. With upgrades already confirmed for Australia, the competitive picture should become clearer once teams run in genuine qualifying trim.

Factory-based workforces face an intense turnaround: analysing thousands of kilometres of data, addressing reliability concerns and finalising development packages for the first flyaway event of the year.

Not every team enjoyed smooth preparation. Aston Martin’s limited mileage and Cadillac’s repeated interruptions leave question marks, while Mercedes’ late power-unit change adds intrigue to their true pace.

That, however, is precisely the purpose of testing: to expose weaknesses before the lights go out for real.

When the grid assembles in Melbourne, the early signs point to a Ferrari–Mercedes showdown, with McLaren close enough to capitalise on any mistake.

The waiting is almost over.