And that’s a wrap on the first pre-season test of 2026. At the head of the timesheets on the final day was Kimi Antonelli, whose 1m33.669s put Mercedes on top. Team-mate George Russell made it a one-two, with Lewis Hamilton completing the top three.
What To Know?
- Day 3 of pre-season testing comes from Bahrain
- Charles Leclerc was the fastest on the second day for Ferrari
- George Russell was quickest soin the morning session on Friday for Mercedes
- Valtteri Bottas brought out the first red flags of the day after stopping out on track for Cadillac
- Lewis Hamilton also came to a stop near the end of the day with Ferrari
So, what have we really learned? The so-called big four appear poised to fight at the front, but beyond that the competitive order remains murky, particularly in a midfield that’s impossible to call. Reliability questions also surfaced — with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas stopping on track and both Lance Stroll and Antonelli spending time in the garage — though that, of course, is precisely what testing is designed to expose. The lap times may be settled, but there’s still one more practice standing start to come.
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Kimi Antonelli ensured Mercedes finished the opening pre-season test of 2026 as the Silver Arrows secured a commanding 1-2 finish on the timesheets during the third and final day in Bahrain.
Russell had set the early benchmark in Friday morning’s session with a 1m 33.918s, laying down a marker that underlined the promise of Mercedes’ new W17. But in the afternoon it was Antonelli who found more pace, dipping to a 1m 33.669s to move to the top of the classification. His effort came despite further interruptions to his programme while the team worked through set-up adjustments and checks on the new car.
Lewis Hamilton followed in third after spending the entire day at the wheel of Ferrari’s latest challenger. The seven-time World Champion recorded a best lap just over half a second adrift of Antonelli’s pace, while also completing an extensive programme of longer runs. However, his session ended prematurely when he stopped on track in the closing minutes.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was another driver tasked with full-day running, and the Australian delivered a productive display to secure fourth overall. Behind him came the Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, the latter expressing considerable optimism about the team’s new power unit after a solid day of work.
Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman shared duties for Haas, finishing seventh and ninth respectively, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto splitting the pair in eighth. Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10 for Audi, as the German manufacturer continued its preparations ahead of its full competitive return.
As teams and drivers continued the process of learning the intricacies of their all-new 2026 machinery, several moments of instability were visible late in the day. Alex Albon was among those who locked up heavily and ran wide, ultimately placing 11th. He finished ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Williams team mate Carlos Sainz.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto slotted into 14th, followed by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Reflecting on his team’s current position, Stroll acknowledged the gap to the front, saying they are “around four-and-a-half seconds off the pace” at present. The Cadillac duo of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez completed the order.
Bottas’ morning featured one of the day’s few interruptions when his Cadillac came to a halt and brought out the red flag. The issue was resolved in time for him to return to the track, before handing over to Perez in the afternoon. The Mexican went on to complete more than a race distance as Cadillac gathered valuable mileage.
In terms of outright workload, Piastri, Hamilton, Colapinto and Lawson stood out. Piastri surpassed 150 laps across the day, while Hamilton – prior to his late stoppage – along with Colapinto and Lawson, each covered in excess of two full race distances. The emphasis throughout remained firmly on data collection, reliability checks and understanding the behaviour of the radically revised 2026 cars.
With the first of two Bahrain pre-season tests now concluded, teams will return to their factories to pore over the data gathered in Sakhir. They are scheduled to reconvene at the Bahrain International Circuit from February 18–20 for the final opportunity to refine their packages before the new 2026 season gets underway.
Day 3 F1 2026 Pre-Season testing: Leaderboard
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:33.669 | 61 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.249 | 78 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.540 | 150 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.880 | 161 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +1.672 | 61 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | +1.941 | 59 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | +2.084 | 75 |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.137 | 144 |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | +2.303 | 70 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +2.622 | 58 |
| 11 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +2.996 | 78 |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +3.139 | 119 |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +3.517 | 68 |
| 14 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +3.696 | 67 |
| 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +3.867 | 60 |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +4.496 | 72 |
| 17 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +5.103 | 37 |
| 18 | Lando Norris | McLaren | – | 0 |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | – | 0 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | – | 0 |
| 21 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | – | 0 |
| 22 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | – | 0 |
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