2026 Formula 1 Bahrain preseason Test 2: Antonelli tops Day 2 timing screens, most laps for McLaren
F1 NewsThursday, 19 February 2026 at 17:10
Mercedes delivered a clear message on day two of the final Bahrain test ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season with Kimi Antonelli posting the fastest time and over six tenths faster than the time posted by his teammate, George Russell on Day 1.
McLaren, on the other hand, managed to top the mileage chart with 158 laps but that was just two more laps than Mercedes managed with George Russell driving in the morning and Kimi Antonelli in the afternoon.
It was normal for the lap times to improve in the afternoon sessions as temperatures dropped with Antonelli managing a lap time of 1:32.803 which is still two second slower than the pole lap Oscar Piastri posted in 2025.
The Australian was second fastest in the McLaren, 0.058s off Antonelli's time and contributing 86 laps to his team's tally on the day.
Four-time F1 Champion, Max Verstappen was third fastest for Red Bull Racing, and was on driving duty all day in the RB22.
The Dutchman managed to accumulate a decent haul of laps, 139, while also managing a full Bahrain Grand Prix simulation which impressed onlookers.
The RB22 seemed to treat its tyres well over the course of the race simulation with Verstappen delivering consistent times as a result.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest in the Ferrari and managed 73 laps in the afternoon after he spent the morning session in the garage aside from five laps he managed at the start.
Ferrari turned heads with their unique rear wing design which they trialed in the AM running.
Lando Norris, who topped the morning session in the MCL40, dropped to fifth on the leaderboard as the times improved with the day progressing.
Decent days for midfield teams, but disaster for Aston Martin
Franco Colapinto drove the whole day for Alpine and logged 120 laps with the sixth best time as Nico Hulkenberg was seventh fastest.
The German drove in the afternoon adding 73 laps to Gabriel Bortoleto's 29 in the morning. The Brazilian was 12th fastest overall.
Russell's morning time was good for eighth on the timing screens as Esteban Ocon, who took over from Ollie Bearman in the afternoon, was ninth fastest as Haas managed 127 points with Bearman 13th fastest.
Racing Bulls managed 106 laps overall as they struggled with reliability issues in the morning with Liam Lawson managing just 27 laps. The Kiwi remained in the VCARB03 all day and was tenth fastest while making up for the shortage of running in the AM.
Alex Albon managed 117 laps for Williams while posting the 11th fastest time after being tasked with driving the FW48 for the whole day.
Cadillac's Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas delivered 108 laps for their team the Mexican 14th fastest with the Finn 16th.
Fernando Alonso ended a disastrous day for Aston Martin 15th fastest as the Silverstone-based team managed 68 laps.
Alonso managed 40 of those in the morning session as his AMR26 broke down with the Spaniard failing to rejoin the running.
The revised race starts were practiced twice on Day two, at the end of the morning and afternoon sessions with Hamilton emerging as the best starter. Maybe that small Ferrari turbo is paying dividends there...
Bahrain Preseason Test 2, Day 2
Latest News
Loading
