2026 Formula 1 Bahrain preseason Test 2: Teams & Drivers report from Sakhir

Ferrari ended the test fastest of all but the jury is still out whether their pace is genuine with the like of Mercedes most probably sandbagging.

McLaren and Red Bull Racing did not show their hand yet which makes the top-four battle more intriguing.

It was a disastrous test for Aston Martin with Cadillac also suffering being newcomers as Audi showed improvement.

A lot of questions surround the midfield but we now have to wait until March 6-8, the weekend of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix to find out the final pecking order.

In the meantime, read on to see the post-test reactions.

Sakhir, 20 February 2026 – Driving Scuderia Ferrari HP's SF-26 for the entire third and final day of the second and last pre-season test at Bahrain's Sakhir Circuit was Charles Leclerc. He continued with the planned development programme, completing 135 laps (731 km). Over the three days here in Bahrain, the car completed a total of 336 laps (1818 km), which, added to the previous test, brings the total to almost 6200 km.

Morning: Charles took to the track, focusing initially on a series of set-up checks, while at the same time evaluating car and tyre behaviour. Attention then turned to longer runs on the C3 and C2 compounds, gathering useful data in the very hot conditions. By the end of the morning, the Monegasque had completed 80 laps (433 km). His best time was a 1'33"689.

Afternoon: Charles was back behind the wheel of the SF-26 after the break, focusing on performance runs, fitting sets of both C3 and C4 tyres, on which he set his best time of 1'31"992. Overall, it has been an intensive and productive day, rounding off the team's preparation work. The SF-26 will next be seen on track in Melbourne, on Friday 6 March, for the first free practice session of the Australian Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Charles Leclerc: "The test day was very smooth, we ran through our programme and tested all the things we planned to. In terms of performance, it's still difficult to understand where we really stand because teams are hiding their true form, so it's important not to focus too much on lap times and prepare for the first race. We will build step by step and try to understand how to extract the maximum from our car, we have a lot of data to analyse before we arrive in Melbourne and we will see how things go once we are there."

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal: "It has been a positive test overall, but we have to keep in mind that the priority was to complete a lot of mileage and build a strong foundation for the season. From this point of view, the test was productive and allowed us to gather valuable data and improve our understanding of the car.

"As always in testing, it is very difficult to draw conclusions in terms of performance, as we don't know the programmes of the other teams. Our focus was on ourselves and on making continuous progress."

On track pre-season preparation concluded for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team at the Bahrain International Circuit this evening with a total of 113 laps completed by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris across Day 3 of Formula 1’s Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2.

This morning’s session saw Oscar take the MCL40 to track as he experienced Sakhir’s cooler morning conditions for the first time this week. This meant that the programme scheduled for the Australian driver was similar to that completed by his teammate in Thursday’s early running with a mixture of low and high fuel runs that started off on the softer tyres.

During Friday’s mandatory lunch break the team found a technical issue on the MCL40’s chassis which required time to be stabled. This delayed the start of the afternoon session with team returning to running at 17:00 local time. Due to changes in the run plan caused by this, time limitations prevented Lando from completing the race simulation that was initially planned. However, despite the slight interreference to running, the final day of testing was overall another important day to collect data and allow the team to learn more about the MCL40 with further understanding and development gathered from a wide range of areas including car setup and reliability.

The conclusion of today’s sessions brings the team’s total distance covered throughout nine days of running at both the Barcelona Shakedown last month and the two recent tests in Sakhir to 5776.791 km from 1,108 laps. Multiple opportunities for important learning have been experienced and collected throughout each lap completed by the MCL40 in 2026. The team will now review and analyse all data available before returning to track for the season opener in Melbourne next month.

Lando Norris: “A good final day in Bahrain. We found a small chassis issue on the car at lunchtime, which meant our running in the afternoon was delayed. As a result, we didn't get the full race simulation we had planned done, but we were still able to get some important track time, especially with the practice start at the end. Overall, it's been a solid nine days of testing, and we have learned a lot about these new regulations of cars and how to extract performance from them, especially around the new power units.

“A huge thank you to the team for all of their work, which has meant we have set ourselves up well for Australia. I am excited to get racing."

Oscar Piastri: "That's testing done. A very productive three days this week in Bahrain and an overall nine days of testing ahead of starting the season. Lots and lots learned about these new cars, so feeling in a good place ahead of going to Melbourne.

“There is still lots to unlock as we go through the first free practice sessions ahead of lights out, but we've worked through our testing plans well and made good progress across the board. Thank you to everyone in the team for getting us to this point, it's been a huge effort. Next up, Melbourne, my home race. It's always great to be there on home soil, so I am excited to get back out on track and get racing the MCL40."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal: “Following the conclusion of pre-season testing in Bahrain, we’re encouraged by the MCL40’s reliability and the extensiveness of learning we have achieved with every lap completed. We have successfully signed off our test items and the core functionality and reliability of the car while enabling long runs and systematic familiarisation of setup, aerodynamics, tyres as well as power unit maximisation. Each day we have been able to add more performance which is pleasing to see, and we now have a clear handle on the car’s potential as we enter the new era of Formula 1.

“One area that continues to be highlighted is that the driver’s role this season under the new regulation is even more challenging, and we’re committed to giving Lando and Oscar the tools to extract the maximum performance. We acknowledge that they will be busier managing the power unit without compromising lap time or race craft, and we’ll continue to work closely with HPP to build further understanding and tools for the management of engine control and exploitation, who have done a good job so far.

“The nine days of pre-season on track in Barcelona and Bahrain has validated our programme and highlighted clear priority areas of learning and development. We will therefore, collaboratively work through these with the team in Woking to continue our preparation for the first race weekend of the season. There’s more to learn, and we’ll keep developing as the season goes on to enhance our competitiveness. Thank you to everyone at McLaren Mastercard for their great work so far, we now go racing.”

Max Verstappen: "This week has been a good start. For my runs in the car, we've basically completed the full programme, so that was good as we have plenty of data to go over and analyse. Going into Bahrain testing, I think we prepared as well as we could and the Team have done a great job to get to where we are. I think it is quite obvious, of course, that there is still quite a bit of work to do for us to be faster so this is something we will be working on. Let's see what we get in Melbourne: it will be great to be back racing but we still have to work hard."

Isack Hadjar: "We made the most of the last day of testing. We trialled a lot of set up changes, they all made sense, so I feel good with the direction we took. The pace on long runs and high fuel was also good. When I started in F1, the car was already more or less fully developed. I've enjoyed giving more inputs and steering the Team in the right direction. I'm very happy with the learnings from this week and I'm excited to go racing in Melbourne".

Laurent Mekies, CEO & Team Principal: "For the sport as a whole, the three sessions across Barcelona and Bahrain have been fascinating from so many different perspectives – the PU technology, the fuel, the aero, different tyre sizes and, as always at the heart of it all, the drivers leading the narrative as to what these cars are like on track. I believe interest in F1 by the time we get to Melbourne will be off the charts.

"For our part, those first sessions in Barcelona were a source of relief and pride, especially in terms of what we have managed to achieve so far with the very first Red Bull Ford Powertrains PU. After two weeks of testing in Bahrain, we should be proud of what we've achieved up against the established power unit manufacturers, the mileage we've completed across the nine days of shakedowns and testing is respectable. As I've said before, this is truly remarkable and a testament to all the hours of hard work put in by those back in the factory.

"Performance? Even with all our technology and simulation tools, everyone will only start to get a partial idea of the pecking order down the pit lane after Saturday's qualifying session in Albert Park.

"Next, we go racing. We know we have a lot of very hard work ahead of us to be at the level we want to be. That's our next mountain to climb, and all of us will be climbing it together as one Team".

Pre-season testing came to a close on Friday in Bahrain with the W17 next running on track for FP1 in Melbourne.

Kimi began the day in the car, but his morning was cut short by a loss of pneumatic pressure. That brought him to a halt on track and necessitated a Power Unit switch.

Before the stoppage, he had managed to complete 49 laps focused mainly on set-up work.

Once the car was ready, George took over for the afternoon and added 82 laps to the team's total.

He ended the day P4 on the timing screens with his team-mate P8.

The team now heads back to Brackley and Brixworth to assess all the data and learnings from pre-season before heading to Australia for the opening round of the 2026 season.

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 had a disappointing end to our pre-season testing with a Power Unit issue stopping us running prematurely this morning. We've had several reliability issues here in Bahrain and that has limited the mileage I've managed in the W17. It's frustrating for everyone in the team but that is what testing is for. Before our stoppage today, we still managed 49 laps and that is useful learning.

"We now have a short turnaround before we head to Melbourne. We've got a solid platform to build from, but we know we need to continue to improve if we are to be in the fight at the front there. We have several areas of particular focus, alongside bringing general performance to the car, and everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is already working on that."

George Russell: "It was unfortunate that we, as a team, lost some more running due to reliability issues today. Kimi has borne the brunt of those issues during testing in Bahrain which is a shame. The most important thing though is that we were able to recover a good amount of the programme in the afternoon.

"The competitive picture has remained similar to previous days. We have looked in the mix with several of our rivals near the front but it's clear, with Ferrari topping the times and McLaren and Red Bull Racing being right on their tails, that we need to continue working hard to bring more performance. It's looking like it will be a close fight in Melbourne and we hope to be a part of that."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director: "Unfortunately, our final day of pre-season testing wasn't a perfect one. We suffered an issue on the Power Unit side which curtailed Kimi's running at 49 laps. Despite that though, we did a good job of getting the car out relatively early in the afternoon and overall, we were able to complete a lot of useful work with both drivers. We kept the focus on set-up items and long run consistency today, which allowed us to cover quite a bit of ground.

"The competitive picture still isn't truly clear, but we know that we have plenty of work ahead as we finalise our preparations for Melbourne. We've put together a solid foundation to build from, are looking forward to the challenge ahead, and excited to see how the W17 performs when racing."

Carlos Sainz: "The past six days of testing in Bahrain has been one of the most interesting and challenging tests that I’ve been part of, given the new regulations and number of things we had to learn. The progress from day one has been significant, although there are still going to be things to understand and solve at the start of the season.

"We go into the first half of the year with lower expectations than 2025 knowing that we’ll be starting slightly on the back foot. However, I’m really looking forward to getting started and focusing on improving the cars through the year to become more competitive. Bring on Melbourne!"

Alex Albon: "It’s been a relatively smooth test here in Bahrain. We got some good mileage under our belts and tested everything we wanted to get out of the car, so I’m feeling more ready for Melbourne. There’s still a lot we need to understand and plenty of performance left on the table that we need to extract, but I’m glad the tests went to plan. It’s now all about maximising the next few days to prepare for the first race of the year!"

James Vowles, Team Principal: "Another solid day of running and mileage. It's great to see that across the last six days of testing, we've been predominantly tyre and time limited, and able to complete the full programme that we wanted. That's just a testament to the hard work of the teams, both here and in Grove, making sure that we made up for lost time. 


"No one truly knows where all the performance lies. That's what Melbourne is all about, so I can't wait to go there, to gain a further understanding of where we are. What I know for sure, though, is we have work to do. There's no doubt about it. We've put ourselves on the back foot. But my assurance to everyone is that we have an aggressive programme lining up in front of us in order to make sure that we extract as much performance in this car as possible over the forthcoming months."

Arvid Lindblad: "I had a really productive week and today I completed 165 laps, so it's fair to say I'm feeling pretty tired now. The sessions went really well and we had good stability throughout. We worked through the program smoothly, including Qualifying simulations and a full race distance run. There's plenty to analyse over the next couple of days, but overall it's felt very positive. A big thank you to the team for all their hard work this week. I'm really looking forward to Melbourne."

Liam Lawson: "It's been a really encouraging week, learning new things about the car every day. This season's testing has proved to be more important than any other year, so it's great to see the progress we've made in such a short space of time. It's been a very big challenge, but reliability has been strong, so we feel prepared as a team to bring our package to Melbourne."

Alan Permane, Team Principal: "We've had a very positive three days here in Bahrain. Last week was productive and this week has been even better. We've learned a lot about the car and the Power Unit; both of which have run reliably all week. We've had a few minor issues, but nothing that will affect us once we get to Melbourne.

Liam and Arvid are quickly finding more performance and getting comfortable with the car. Over the last couple of days, we've also done some Qualifying practice by running lower fuel to see how the car behaves on the limit, teaching us a lot about the car's needs on this specific track. We'll of course be taking these learnings with us to Melbourne and Shanghai.

We've completed two race simulations this week too. The car will continue to evolve quickly, and we'll have the first new parts arriving in Australia. What we're seeing here will change rapidly, and we'll continue adding performance on a race-by-race basis. Two weeks testing in Bahrain has proved invaluable in giving the team a clearer picture of what to expect ahead of the first race and we feel as prepared as we can be for Melbourne."

The final day of pre-season testing ahead of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship concluded Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit. TGR Haas F1 Team closed out proceedings at the Sakhir track with another productive day putting the VF-26 through its paces, with Esteban Ocon running the morning session and Ollie Bearman driving in the afternoon.

Ocon's final stint produced 82 laps and a best time around the 5.412-kilometer (3.363-mile) track of 1:34.494, the Frenchman finishing his run program with a race simulation through to the lunch break.

Bearman enjoyed an equally busy session from the afternoon into the evening, the Brit also working through a race sim, followed by qualifying sim laps and pit stop practice to take the team to the checkered flag on Friday at 19:00 local. Bearman's fastest lap was a 1:33.487 from a total of 88 banked – taking the team's tally on the day to 170 laps, it's highest single-day count across the two Bahrain tests.

TGR Haas F1 Team logged a total of 794 laps around the Bahrain International Circuit across the six days of pre-season testing – equating to 4297.12 kilometers (2670.22 miles).

The opening round of the 24-race 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship – the Australian Grand Prix, is set for March 6-8 at Melbourne's Albert Park.

Esteban Ocon: "I think once again we've had no major issues with the car today. We completed the program as well as the test items to continue work on trying to get more front-end with the car – that's been positive. Ollie's had a good afternoon which is encouraging, and I hope that the team continues to develop further with everything we've learned from these tests."

Ollie Bearman: "Final day complete in Bahrain and I'm really proud of the hard work that the whole team has put in over pre-season testing. The steps that we've made have been super impressive, and today was by far the most productive of the test."

Ayao Komatsu – Team Principal: "The final pre-season test has now concluded, and I have to say it's been a very productive last test. Every day we've learned a significant amount, improving the car a little bit, and both drivers have been working really well with the team – and their feedback is the same. It's really good to split the day – morning and afternoon – and then confirm certain things, finding and understanding items, to get more performance out of the car. I'm really happy with the progress we've made, and our reliability has been great. Of course it hasn't been problem free, but that's pre-season testing, and the positive thing is we're dealing with it in the right manner – understanding performance and actioning what we've learned.

"As far as pre-season preparations go, I think it's been a really good effort from the entire team, so thank you to everyone involved throughout the process. It was a huge effort to go from Fiorano, then running in Barcelona two days later, then from that to come here to Bahrain and now to the final day of testing. We've put in a decent performance with the car and completed two race simulations which is a very good effort. The real challenge starts now ahead of the first race in Melbourne, but as a team, especially being the smallest team, I think we can be proud of ourselves and how we got here."

Pierre Gasly: "It has been a very busy month for us, something which, in February of any Formula One season, is quite unusual. We have had 10 on-track days already in the A526 split across Silverstone, Barcelona and Bahrain and I am definitely feeling ready and excited to go racing once again. Normally at this stage of a season we have a day and a half in the car as preparation and then we go racing. This time, we have had four and a half days, which, with a new car is so important as there is so much to learn and understand. I am pleased with our work in the last month and it has been an incredible effort from everyone at the team. We have a lot to look at and there are certainly a number of areas where we need to work hard for us to find some improvements. I am feeling positive, pleased with all our hard work so far and I will spend two days at Enstone on the simulator and with the team next week to prepare for the return to racing. It is an exciting time and I look forward to putting in the hours ahead of Australia."

Steve Nielsen, Managing Director: "With over 1000 laps completed across three different tracks, today brings to an end our pre-season preparations. These past few months have been very unique in modern Formula One terms with cars on-track as early as January and many key milestones along the way being met weeks, if not months, earlier than we've ever experienced in recent years. I have been very proud of the hard work from everyone at Enstone in designing, creating and developing the A526 along with our new colleagues from Brixworth in Mercedes-AMG. It has not been easy and, at times, we have faced huge challenges. Those challenges will not go away either as the development race is well underway to take this package in the best possible direction to be competitive. This week in Bahrain we have really focused on pushing the car more and more across a range of conditions as we edge closer to going racing once again. Only then, in Australia, by Saturday afternoon, will we truly know where we stand in the competitive order. Right now, though, we are pleased with our efforts in recent weeks. We have a reasonable package and a good baseline to work from, at least for the first few races of the season. Pierre and Franco have done a great job in executing run plans and giving us plenty of data to assess, so credit to them for their continued efforts. They are both excited to go racing again, as am I, and the whole team, and we will head to Melbourne ready to give it our all and begin what will no doubt be a fascinating 2026 season."

The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team concluded its testing programme at the Bahrain International Circuit today, with Lance Stroll returning to the cockpit of the AMR26 for the final time before the Australian Grand Prix.

Lance did not get on track until late in the morning session due to a battery-related issue that had impacted Fernando's running yesterday. Honda carried out simulations on the test bench at HRC Sakura before the car returned to the track. Due to a shortage of power unit parts, the run plan was very limited and consisted only of short stints.

Lance Stroll: "It's been a challenging couple of weeks here in Bahrain, and today's limited running wasn't the way we wanted to finish the second test. It's clear the car isn't where we want it to be performance-wise, and we know there's a lot of work ahead in the coming weeks and months. There's a long season ahead, and we'll keep pushing flat out to unlock more performance.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone trackside and back at the AMRTC for the work that's gone in so far. It's not where we want to be right now, but I know how determined this team is. We'll stick together, rise to the challenge and keep working until we deliver the performance we are looking for."

Mike Krack: "We have concluded our test programme in Bahrain, and the main challenge has been dealing with some reliability issues that have limited our time on track. This leaves us on the backfoot going into the start of the season, because we haven't been able to complete all of the usual tasks typical of winter testing. We recognise there is a huge amount of work ahead, and everyone involved in this project knows where we need to focus to improve our situation. I want to say a big thank you to all my colleagues across the team who have been working day and night over the last two weeks."

Audi Revolut F1 Team brought pre-season testing to a close with a productive day of action in Sakhir. Nico Hulkenberg completed his programme with 64 laps in the morning, before Gabriel Bortoleto’s race and qualifying simulations added 71 laps to the team’s tally. The day’s action brings the total for the second week of Bahrain testing to 357, with the overall mileage for pre-season reaching up to 2,775.649 km (851 laps).

It’s been a busy off-season for Audi Revolut F1 Team: a first shakedown on January 9, the first team to hit the track with the new-generation 2026 cars, was followed by three days on track in the Barcelona Shakedown Week and the fortnight of action in Sakhir – adding up to one of the longest testing programmes in recent decades.

The team now returns to its bases in Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester: plenty of data to analyse awaits as the secrets of the R26 are unlocked and performance brought to the surface. Next time out, it will be Melbourne – for the first Formula One race as Audi Revolut F1 Team.

Mattia Binotto, Head of Audi F1 Project: “It’s been a long, intense pre-season, a long winter, and the team has shown great dedication and commitment throughout since our first outing at the beginning of January. We started from a rather challenging position, with a list of areas to improve, and the response has been very strong across all departments: I want to thank everyone in Hinwil, Neuburg, and Bicester for their hard work. Step by step, we’ve addressed many of those points and made significant progress. We haven’t solved everything, yet, but the development and the attitude across the team have been very encouraging. Looking at where we are now, I feel positive as we approach the start of the season.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal of Audi Revolut F1 Team: “If I look back at 2026 so far, I see an extraordinary level of ambition across the team. Over the winter, we relocated several hundred people following refurbishment of our factory building, signed a roster of new partners, renewed every element of our trackside infrastructure — from pit equipment and panels to pit walls and hospitality — all delivered on schedule.

“We also became the first team to run a 2026-specification car, taking to the track in the second week of January after successfully completing all FIA crash tests – an exceptional achievement in itself. Since then, we have launched the team in Berlin, participated in every day of testing and gathered a vast amount of information, not only about the car but about ourselves as a team.

“The mileage we have achieved and the way the organisation has responded to every challenge over the past two months give me great encouragement. There is still a substantial job list heading into the season. We have made strong progress over the past two weeks, but we are under no illusion about the task ahead or the level of competition we will face in Melbourne.

“That said, we are motivated, focused and united. The team spirit across Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester is of the highest order. We now pack up, regroup and turn our full attention to Melbourne.”

James Key, Technical Director of Audi Revolut F1 Team: “Firstly, it has been a long time since we have had three winter tests. It brings back memories of an era when testing was far more extensive, but it was certainly necessary given these new cars and the scale of the regulation changes. It is hard to believe that only six weeks ago we were tentatively rolling the car out of the garage in Barcelona for our filming day in early January.

“Since then, we have made significant progress. Over the past weeks we have introduced our race-spec aero package, completed race distance simulations, and carried out an extensive amount of set-up work across both chassis and power unit. It has been an extremely busy and intense period. The drivers are comfortable with the car and it is a good platform to work with. There are areas to improve in terms of reliability and performance, but nothing unexpected at this stage.

“Overall, we are broadly where we hoped to be at this point in the season and in our development as a team. As we continue to mature as Audi Revolut F1 Team, we can take more positives than negatives and head into the season with a degree of optimism — even if none of us truly knows where we stand competitively.

“I would also like to recognise the team’s effort. We were the first car on track and made substantial steps across the tests in how the car was configured and developed. Our colleagues in Neuburg have worked immensely hard to translate the first track data into continuous improvements over the course of the programme. A sincere thank you to everyone involved for the enormous effort required to reach this point.

“Thank you as well to Gabi and Nico for their positivity, feedback and the many laps they completed. Finally, particular recognition goes to the trackside team. Working with an unfamiliar car, they put in long hours to ensure we were ready to exit the garage at nine o’clock each morning, incorporating updates and managing issues throughout the day. Their work has been outstanding, and we leave testing with a strong foundation to build on.”

Nico Hulkenberg: “A rather solid day to finish our work here in Sakhir and, with it, pre-season testing. Our programme in Barcelona and the two sessions here in Bahrain are complete, and the focus now shifts to Melbourne, something that felt so far away in January. Looking back to these weeks of testing, we can find encouragement in the significant number of laps we completed: it’s testament to the enormous amount of work that has gone in across the factories in Hinwil, Bicester and Neuburg, in particular. Bringing a new power unit to the track and beginning to understand it properly is a major undertaking, so a sincere thank you to everyone involved.

“We have made substantial progress over the course of the tests, learning day by day and taking important steps forward. The team has been very hands-on, responding quickly to challenges and implementing solutions effectively. Now we have a week to consolidate all our learnings, do our homework and prepare thoroughly for Melbourne. Then it is finally time to go racing.”

Gabriel Bortoleto: “We wrap up two productive weeks here in Bahrain, and overall a very busy pre-season. I think the team has done a really good job: we’ve made solid progress with our car from where we started, and that’s really encouraging to see. There are still areas to work on and plenty to learn about it, but overall, it's safe to say it’s been a positive test, and I want to thank everyone in the team, both trackside as well as in Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester for their support and hard work. Now, the focus shifts to Melbourne: I’m looking forward to getting the season started.”

The Cadillac Formula 1® Team today completed final track preparations ahead of its highly anticipated debut in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship™. Taking to the Bahrain International Circuit for the final pre-season test, the American squad worked through a dense program to fully prepare for its race debut in Australia on March 8.

Across the three days, the driver duo of Checo Pérez and Valtteri Bottas ran a comprehensive program designed to build the team's mileage while also preparing for the challenges of a race weekend. The pair worked through multiple race and qualifying simulations, aerodynamic validation, systems checks and FIA procedures, which provided insightful feedback for the team's operations for the upcoming 2026 Formula 1® season.

Checo and Valtteri racked up 280 laps, taking the team's overall pre-season mileage to 3,247 km. With just 11 days of running under its belt, it now has more than 10 race distances to its name.

Looking ahead to its inaugural race at the Australian Grand Prix, the Cadillac Formula 1® Team leaves pre-season testing equipped to take another step in its milestone journey to the grid.

Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal: "We've had a really productive two weeks out here in Bahrain. A few small issues here and there, just like any other Formula 1 team, but all in all we can be very happy with the progress that we've made. We've got a good baseline package that sets us up well for our first race in Melbourne. It's a massive achievement to get to where we are now, and I'm extremely grateful and proud of everyone in the team for all their hard work."

Checo Pérez: "I've really enjoyed this pre-season testing period. The atmosphere in the team feels great, we are going in the right direction, we've got a good, balanced car and covered a lot of mileage. Every lap we are learning more and now it's about developing and putting performance on. There's always more to do, but I'm happy going into this short gap to Melbourne and excited to get back out on track in race mode."

Valtteri Bottas: "Today we wrapped up pre-season testing after a productive two weeks in Bahrain. We've continued to maximize our time spent out on track to better our understanding of the car, refine how we operate as a team and identify the areas we need to focus on. We'll now look to review the valuable data gained as part of our final preparations ahead of the team's first-ever race. Everything we've done so far has been building toward our debut. We can't wait to finally go racing."

The absolute fastest time of the six-day pre-season test in Bahrain was set during the final hour at the Sakhir circuit using the new Pirelli tyres. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) improved yesterday's benchmark set by Kimi Antonelli by eight-tenths of a second, closing two weeks of sessions with a 1:31.992s on the C4 compound.

The Monegasque thus finished ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren), who clocked a 1:32.871s, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) with a 1:33.109s, and George Russell (Mercedes), who posted a 1:33.197s. All three ran on the C3 compound but failed to beat the fastest time on this tyre, which was held by Leclerc with a 1:32.655s. Behind them, Pierre Gasly recorded his best time of the day on the C5s, stopping the clock at 1:33.421s.

The softest compound was also used today for short runs by Alpine and Williams (Cadillac, however, did not repeat yesterday's experiment). Of the four teams with the C5 at their disposal, Aston Martin was the only one not to use it. Adrian Newey's team completed just six laps on C3s this morning before halting all track activity.

The leaders on the harder compounds were Gabriel Bortoleto on the C1 (1:37.294s) and Arvin Lindblad (Racing Bulls) on the C2 (1:35.238s). Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Franco Colapinto (Williams), and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) did not go out on the track today.

As seen yesterday, teams utilised the compounds for both performance runs and long-distance evaluations. Notable stints included 25 laps by Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) on C2s and 24 laps by Esteban Ocon (Haas) on C1s. The Frenchman was also the only driver to fit a set of Intermediates, running them for four laps to test front wing behaviour.

Mario Isola, Pirelli's Motorsport Director, commented: "The radical changes introduced to the cars have inevitably shifted the teams' focus towards power units and aerodynamics rather than tyres over the last few days. The final stages of testing are usually dedicated to optimising the car-tyre package, but it is clear some teams haven't reached that point yet.

"Generally speaking, track feedback has been consistent with our simulation expectations. Drivers were able to gain confidence with the entire Pirelli range through both performance trials and long runs, even using the C4 and C5 compounds which aren't particularly suited to a circuit like Sakhir.

"Mechanical resistance appeared strong across all options, with no signs of graining or blistering. Degradation levels are almost certainly higher now than what we expect for the Bahrain race, when temperatures will be lower and cars more developed.

"A central theme this season will certainly be balancing temperatures between the axles, especially ahead of the first race in Melbourne. The lower loads of a street circuit might require more intensive tyre preparation or differentiated tyre blanket temperatures, particularly in qualifying.

"In any case, it will be interesting to discover in Australia how much teams have been 'sandbagging' their engine power to avoid showing their hand. We only have to wait a couple of weeks to see the true pecking order."

This week, 20,693 kilometres were covered, predominantly on the C3 (61%), which remained the most popular compound across both blocks of testing. In total, the eleven teams covered 41,366 kilometres over the six days, more than the Earth's circumference. Since Wednesday, 326 sets of slick tyres were used, bringing the total for the entire pre-season to 591 sets.