2026 Formula 1 Bahrain preseason Test 2, Day 1: Teams and Drivers report from Sakhir

George Russell was fastest on a strong day for Mercedes as McLaren also enjoyed enjoyed a trouble free day while Red Bull Racing and Ferrari faced issues with their cars.

Aston Martin and Cadillac also had a terrible day with break downs and spins cutting their running short.

At the end of the day, the FIA trialed a new race start procedure in response to teams' concerns regarding the preparation needed to launch the cars with the new power units.

The second and final pre-season test got underway in Bahrain today (18 February).

Kimi was in the car for the morning session with George taking over for the afternoon running.

The Italian completed 69 laps around the Bahrain International Circuit as the team focused on evaluating several updates brought to the track.

George completed a similar programme later in the day, finishing with a total of 78 laps and topping the timing screens with a 1:33.459.

George will continue in the car tomorrow before Kimi takes over for the afternoon.

A limited selection of images of the day is available on our media site. All imagery is rights-free for editorial use.

Kimi Antonelli: "We enjoyed a positive morning and overall, a good day to begin this second pre-season test. We had an extensive programme planned with plenty of items we wanted to test. We managed to work through that list efficiently with few delays and learnt a lot more about the W17.

"Whilst we've had a solid start to these final three days of running ahead of Melbourne, there is still lots of work for us to do in these final days. Several of our competitors continue to look strong and we have to continue to evolve our package and find more performance. Australia is not far away now so we will be working hard to maximise these final two days here in Bahrain."

George Russell: "It was good to get back on track here in Bahrain. With only three days of pre-season running left before we head to Melbourne, every lap is precious. We didn't enjoy the best reliability in the first test, but we've started off on the front foot this week, completing 147 laps between myself and Kimi.

"We have brought several updates to the W17 this week, so our programme was focused on evaluating those and ensuring we didn't encounter any nasty surprises. We were able to complete most of the work we had planned and can now continue to build our learning over the final two days of running."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director: "We have made a solid start to the final few days of testing completing 69 laps with Kimi and 78 with George. We've updated a few parts on the W17, and they seem to be doing what we hoped. We've also been working through a programme of set-up items trying to understand more about the car and tyres. The track changes quite considerably over the course of a day here as it heats up and cools down so it's often difficult to analyse results, but we seem to have been able to keep the car in a good window and it's been encouraging to see that degradation has been under control.

We've still got a lot of work to do as we go into the final two days so fingers crossed the W17 will continue to run reliably and allow us to get through our full programme.

The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team today returned to the Bahrain International Circuit to continue their pre-season preparations, completing 124 laps of running on Day 1 of Formula 1's Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2.

Lando Norris took the MCL40 out onto the track in the opening session, covering a total of distance of 292.248km with 54 laps recorded.

Utilising opportunities with this morning's slightly cooler Sakhir temperatures and environment, the team's scheduled programme focused on higher-value setup and systems work to get a better understanding of the car's operation and performance in different conditions. This saw Lando complete successful laps working with different power unit modes and settings across both his long and short runs, while also experiencing Pirelli's C1, C2 and C3 tyres, giving the 2025 Drivers' World Champion further insight into what managing the car could feel like this season.

While running to a similar programme, Oscar Piastri's time in the car saw warmer track temperatures throughout the afternoon, which provided good overall learnings for both him and the team. Oscar completed 70 laps in total covering 378.840 km, which included various planned rake runs, maximising learning across a range of aerodynamic setups. In line with his teammate's time on track, the Australian driver worked with a range of Pirelli tyres alongside the addition of the C4 compound.

With valuable data presented throughout the day for both the team trackside and in Woking, work will be undertaken to unlock additional performance gains throughout the remainder of the week, with a focus on final learnings and further exploitation of the power unit.

Both drivers return to action tomorrow for Day 2 of Formula 1's Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2. Lando will pilot the MCL40 throughout the morning session, with Oscar taking to the wheel throughout the afternoon.

Lando Norris: "We got some good laps under our belts this morning, working though varying runs and getting more comfortable in the car. Conditions today were a bit different to last week, with the changing wind as well as the slightly cooler temperatures this morning compared to this afternoon, giving us a little bit more grip. We're learning more each day, but there are still a lot of things to get our heads around, so we'll keep putting the car through its paces in the last two days of testing."

Oscar Piastri: "Overall, it has been a productive day. My running in the afternoon felt solid and we made good progress. The conditions were different today to last week, with some warmer temperatures in my session combined with different wind conditions, so it was good to be able get that experience in the car. I am feeling more comfortable with each lap, so am looking forward to getting back out on track tomorrow afternoon."

Mark Temple, Technical Director - Performance: "Another productive day in Bahrain, the first of the second and final test in Sakhir. As with every day at track this pre-season, we have focused on getting as much information out of the MCL40 as possible to continue our early learnings and developments.

"Today's running has seen useful track time in changing conditions. For Lando's morning session, the wind had a bigger effect on our car from corner to corner, with temperatures also being slightly cooler than Oscar experienced in the afternoon. This has given us more understanding of the MCL40's operation and performance in different circumstances. The variety of long and short runs and working through different tyres and power unit modes has given us more important data to work with as we look to unlock further gains across the remainder of the week.

"As each day on track is complete, Lando and Oscar are getting more comfortable in the cars and together with the team, we are learning more and more about exploiting and maximising the performance potential in the package, both chassis and power unit side. Overall, we are still learning with each lap but that's a good sign that we're making solid progress, and we know that there is still a lot more to come over the final few days of testing."

Isack Hadjar: "We had a slow start to the day with low mileage in the morning after losing pressure in one of the coolant circuits.

"So, like last week, we made the most of the afternoon with a really packed programme, and I feel better than last week already with the car. The standing starts were fun, hopefully we keep the same momentum into Melbourne.

"For me, compared to last week, I have a better read on the car balance so I'm very happy. There's still plenty of things to improve, but I'm excited to go into the third day knowing that Max is driving tomorrow and there's going to be even more learning to apply."

Scuderia Ferrari HP got off to a productive start to the final three-day pre-season test at the Sakhir circuit: Today, the SF-26 completed a total of 117 laps (633 kms), with Charles Leclerc at the wheel in the morning before handing over to Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon.

Morning. Charles drove out of pit lane shortly after 10am to begin a programme given over entirely to data acquisition, as well as evaluating various solutions fitted to the car, while also gaining a further understanding of how the car behaves over different stint lengths. The Monegasque spent the entire time on the C3 compound tyre, doing 70 laps (379 km) his best time being a 1'33''739.

Afternoon. During the lunch break, the SF-26 was adjusted to suit Lewis Hamilton, who then continued with the programme set by the team. He too only ran the C3 tyre, working on set-up evaluation over stints of different lengths. Around mid-afternoon, the team spotted a minor issue on the SF-26 and Hamilton was called back to the pits so that a thorough check of the car could be carried out. The Englishman was back out again with around an hour of track time remaining. He completed 47 laps (254 km) with a best time of 1'34''299.

Charles Leclerc: "We went through our programme in the morning without any issues. For now it’s very difficult to read much into performance and we are not focused on that. We’ve completed many laps which is a positive and we will keep pushing in the right direction."

Lewis Hamilton: "It was a solid day, as we managed to complete a good amount of running, which is positive. We had a small issue during my session, but the team did a great job to get me back out on track to do some long runs. I feel like we’ve made progress compared to last week and I’m continuing to build my understanding of the car. We’re still working on fine-tuning the balance, but we’re moving in the right direction."

Pierre Gasly: "After a few days to reflect on a busy first week of pre-season testing, it was good to be back in the car this morning to implement some of the things we learned. Each time we put the car on track we are really learning more and more, both in the car itself and for myself in terms of finding some new tricks to make the most from these new cars and new regulations. Driving the morning session is certainly quite tricky especially as the temperatures are so hot and the grip tends to be quite low. I like the challenge and I am looking forward to being back in the car on Friday for the final opportunity to learn as we much as we can before the real competition begins in Melbourne in a few weeks' time."

Steve Nielsen, Managing Director: "We've had a reasonable start to the second week of pre-season testing here in Bahrain, with 121 laps completed split almost evenly between Pierre this morning and Franco this afternoon. Last week was a huge learning process where we had a few challenges to overcome as we continue to learn more about the A526 and getting the best from the complete package. Our week in Barcelona in January, and our first week here, was very much geared towards understanding various new systems and getting used to new ways of working. This week, meanwhile, is centred on taking the car in a set-up direction and giving the drivers more of an opportunity to have a good feel for the car in various performative conditions ahead of racing. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us with Franco in the car all day tomorrow and Pierre taking over on Friday for the final day of running before attention swiftly moves on to competitive action in Melbourne."

TGR Haas F1 Team was the first squad out on track at 10am local time with Esteban Ocon behind the wheel of the VF-26 to kick start the second and final week of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The Frenchman clocked 65 laps in the morning session working through a variety of baseline set-ups as the early morning fog, and cooler conditions, that greeted teams on arrival burned away and the sunshine peaked the air temperature at 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit) by the lunch break. Ocon set a fastest lap of 1:36.418 and utilized sets of Pirelli's C2 and C3 tires during his run-plan.

Ollie Bearman assumed driving duties in the afternoon – the team opting to have both teammates in the VF-26 each day this week splitting the sessions. Bearman's program was temporarily curtailed later in the day by an electrical issue – impacting some sensors, but the Brit successfully returned to the track in the final hour under the lights and subsequently set a fastest lap of 1:35.778 – Bearman also sampling C2 and C3 compounds exclusively.

Thursday's penultimate day of track action will see Bearman driving in the morning with Ocon back in the VF-26 for the afternoon session.

Esteban Ocon: "It was another productive morning where we did quite a lot of laps, which was good – we learned more. The four-day break was very productive for us as we've improved quite a lot, and we've brought some new parts for the car. We're trying to understand those now, but the car felt positive. The rest of the test is going to be about trying to get the latest details and to get the balance how we'd like it to be."

Ollie Bearman: "This afternoon was a bit more interrupted as we had a small issue on the car. We wanted to make sure that it was solved before heading back out, so we lost a bit of time. Going through the items, of course we missed a bit of running, but it means we'll have more tires for the rest of the test. We learned something incredibly important today, so that's the key takeaway. I'm looking forward to building on that tomorrow when we run."

Ayao Komatsu – Team Principal: "We had both Esteban and Ollie in the car – it was certainly an interesting test day. We've reacted well to a lot of the things we've learned from the car today, in fact we've learned quite a lot. We've got a pretty clear direction in terms of what we need to do to improve the car, so that's good. Other positives are on the PU side, energy management and so on – things like deployment and drivability, it's been a step up compared to last week's test. I think that's just part of the on-going development, it's all part of the learning that comes from these sessions. In general, we learned a lot about our car as a whole today. Even though we spent some downtime in the garage in the afternoon, the guys identified issues, worked on problem-solving, and then focused on the direction we have to take. It's been very good, very useful."

The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team has completed the first day of Bahrain Test 2, with both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso returning to the cockpit of the AMR26.

Fernando headed out for the morning session and completed 28 laps, working through gearbox learning runs. A power unit-related issue brought his session to an early finish. The car returned to the track in the afternoon with Lance behind the wheel. He focused on power unit understanding and completed 26 laps.

Fernando will be back in the car tomorrow for both sessions, while Lance will conclude the team's Bahrain testing programme on Friday.

Mike Krack: "A few issues kept us in the garage at times today and we are still missing all-important mileage with this car. The priority for the remaining days is to get laps under our belt. Despite the lack of running (54 laps), we are learning huge amounts with every lap and we are taking steps forward with how to operate the car under these new regulations. We know where to focus and every area of the team is fully focussed on improving our competitiveness."

James Vowles, Team Principal: "It was a productive day today. It’s great to see us completing a solid number of laps, being tyre limited rather than anything else.

"We completed different programmes from morning to afternoon, with Carlos focusing on high fuel runs while Alex looked at a number of set-up items that we carried into the afternoon.

"It’s a good foundation and we’ve found a sensible direction. We now need to prove that it’s repeatable in all conditions over the next two days.

"This week is very much focused on how we extract the most from the package in preparation for Melbourne, so we’ll keep moving the set up forward ahead of the first race."

Nico Hulkenberg: “It was a slightly tricky morning on my side, but Bahrain can be challenging in the early sessions, particularly with the high track temperatures. It’s still in the early phase and we continue to learn and discover new things every time we go out. Kind of part of the process. Overall, it was a productive day: the team and Gabi had a positive afternoon session, and I will be back in the car tomorrow afternoon ready to build on what we have learned.”

Gabriel Bortoleto: “Today was probably my most productive day so far with our new car in terms of mileage. I feel like we made some encouraging progress, and got to test several things throughout the day – I am really happy about how it went. Of course, there’s still a decent amout of work ahead of us, but we’re improving step by step, learning something new every time we go out on track. We’ll keep pushing in this direction tomorrow and on Friday, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

⁃ A day of compromised running due to various issues and problem-solving.

⁃ Checo was in the car in the morning, covering 24 laps. He lost some time at the start of the day as we resolved a sensor issue.

⁃ When he got running he concentrated on tyre evaluation, different fuel levels and performance work, however his morning was affected by a loss of telemetry on a couple of runs.

⁃ Valtteri took over in the afternoon, putting 35 laps in.

⁃ His running included some sustained running on different tyre compounds, performance and aero runs.

⁃ He continued to work on balance and set up plus participate in the FIA flag and start procedures.

⁃ We are now keen to make the most of final two days of running having had an interrupted day.

Lap times improved further on the opening day of the second pre-season test in Bahrain. Topping the timesheets today was George Russell (Mercedes) with a 1:33.459s, followed by Oscar Piastri (McLaren) in 1:33.469s, exactly two tenths quicker than the best time set by Kimi Antonelli last week. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was unable to match the Australian's lap, finishing +0.270s.

The five quickest laps of Wednesday were all set on the C3 compound, in track conditions very similar to those seen during the previous three days of running. Unlike last week, teams were able to select 24 sets of dry tyres from the full range of Pirelli compounds.

The C3 proved to be the tyre of choice, accounting for 72% of the total mileage with 842 laps completed. The C2 covered 227 laps (19%), while the C1 was used for 48 laps (4%). In terms of distance, the three compounds, starting with the C1, covered 259, 1,228 and 4,556 kilometres respectively.

While no team opted to run the C5, the C4 saw only limited use, mainly in the closing hours of the session as track temperatures began to fall. McLaren, Red Bull and Williams used the compound primarily for performance runs, completing a combined total of 47 laps (254 kilometres, 4% of the day's running). The only exception was a 12-lap stint from Piastri on a set that had already completed seven laps.

Piastri also set the fastest time on the C4 (1:33.641) and the quickest on the C2 (1:34.067). The hardest compound, the C1, saw Russell post the benchmark lap of 1:37.094. Overall, teams appeared to have focused the day on evaluating different car set-ups through a series of short runs. Among the longer stints was a 15-lap run from Sergio Perez (Cadillac) on C1 tyres.

The notable absentee on track was Max Verstappen, the only driver not to take part in the day's running, which concluded with a test of a new starting light sequence procedure.

Ambient temperatures were slightly cooler than last Friday, although track temperatures still peaked at 44°C. Air temperatures ranged from a low of 24°C to a high of 31°C. Track action resumes tomorrow from 10:00 to 19:00 local time.