F1 2026 Pre-Season testing: Day 2 in Bahrain

The second day of testing in Bahrain brought more mileage, more data — and a clearer hint of early form as the 2026 contenders continued to stretch their legs. At the head of the order was Charles Leclerc, whose 1m34.273s proved good enough to finish half a second clear of Lando Norris. Leclerc logged 139 laps over the course of the day, while Norris clocked up an impressive 149. Oliver Bearman slotted into third after 130 tours in a strong showing for Haas F1 Team.

It was, overall, an encouraging day for Ferrari, McLaren and Haas, all of whom enjoyed clean running. Mercedes endured a power unit setback in the morning, while Red Bull Racing recovered from hydraulic issues. Five red flags punctuated the action — including stoppages involving Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly — but with one day remaining in this first week of testing in Bahrain, the picture is slowly coming into focus.

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Thursday morning’s running ran in the typical desert heat of Sakhir, with Leclerc clocking a 1m 34.273s that ultimately stood unchallenged for the remainder of the day. As daylight faded and the Bahrain International Circuit floodlights illuminated the track, no one was able to better the Ferrari driver’s benchmark.

Leclerc ended the session more than half a second clear of reigning World Champion Lando Norris, with Oliver Bearman a further half-second back in third. All three drivers remained in their cars for the full day and each comfortably surpassed the 100-lap mark — an impressive feat given Norris lost track time earlier in the morning due to a stoppage.

Mercedes opted to divide driving duties across the day, as several teams did. Kimi Antonelli’s morning programme was significantly curtailed by a power unit problem, leaving him with minimal running before handing over to George Russell. Russell completed the afternoon stint and secured fourth place overall on the timesheets.

Isack Hadjar, recently promoted to a Red Bull race seat, also encountered apparent technical setbacks during the early part of the day. However, his programme stabilised in the afternoon, allowing him to recover lost ground and finish fifth.

Audi continued building momentum ahead of their debut Formula 1 campaign, running Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg across the day. They placed sixth and tenth respectively. Between them were Alpine’s Pierre Gasly — who experienced a morning interruption — Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas, who shed part of a mirror during the afternoon session, and Williams’ Alex Albon.

Racing Bulls drivers Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson accumulated valuable mileage, finishing 11th and 13th. Carlos Sainz slotted into 12th during his latest outing for Williams, while Fernando Alonso ended the day 14th in Aston Martin’s new challenger.

Sergio Perez was another driver sidelined early on after his Cadillac came to a halt on track. Antonelli, hampered by Mercedes’ earlier issues, completed only three laps in total and classified 16th and last.

As evening descended, the final hours of running were punctuated by multiple flashing marshal panels while Race Control carried out routine systems checks. From yellow flags, red flags and Virtual Safety Car notifications. With Thursday’s programme complete, teams and drivers returned to the Bahrain paddock to analyse their data and refine their set-ups ahead of Friday’s action — the third and final day of the opening pre-season test.

Day 2 F1 2026 Pre-Season testing: Leaderboard