2026 Formula 1 Bahrain Preseason Test Day 3: Teams & Drivers Report from Sakhir

Kimi Antonelli posted the fastest time of the three-day-test while George Russell was second fastest.

The second test did not come without its challenges as even the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes suffered from reliability problems which was also the case for Aston Martin and Cadillac who had limited running. 

McLaren and Williams were the joint lap champions both accumulating 422 laps while Aston Martin were the losers with just 206 laps.

As we now look ahead to the second preseason test in Bahrain on February 18, let us first check out what the teams and drivers said after concluding their first test in Sakhir.

The final day of the first Bahrain pre-season test came to a conclusion on Friday.

George and Kimi split the driving duties, with both focused initially on single lap work before switching their attention to race simulations to end their weeks.

George topped the times in the morning session before Kimi surpassed this in the cooler conditions of the afternoon.

After two challenging days to the start the test with several reliability issues affecting the team's programme, Friday was more effective with George completing 78 laps and Kimi 64 laps.

The team will now analyse all of the data gathered over the course of the three days before the second and final pre-season test gets underway next Wednesday (18 February).

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

George Russell: "We've enjoyed a much more productive day in Bahrain than the previous two have been. That was important given how much running we had missed on days one and two. We were able to work through some single lap and high fuel running, completing a race distance to end our morning.

"We've struggled with reliability this week and our performance hasn't been where we want it to be. Today, the car felt better balanced than previous days and our pace was reasonable. That said, it is clear that our competitors have looked much stronger than they did in Barcelona and that we have work to do to catch them up. We will put in the hours ahead of next week's second and final pre-season test to improve and hopefully we can get closer to our rivals ahead of the first race in Melbourne."

Kimi Antonelli: "It's been a difficult test for us as a team, particularly on my side. We have encountered several reliability issues that meant I only managed just over 30 laps across the first two days. It was therefore a good afternoon today where it was really my first time properly getting to grips with the car here in Bahrain. We were able to complete a good amount of single lap work and then came close to finishing a race simulation.

"Whilst this week has been frustrating, it is much better to have these issues now and be able to work through them, rather than them happening during race weekends. The team is already working through solutions to some of our problems and we can hopefully come back stronger next week. Several of our rivals have looked particularly good and have enjoyed much more trouble-free running here than us. We need to try and extract more from our package and hopefully can begin to make up some of our gap during the second and final pre-season test."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director: "We had our strongest day of this first test today but still spent far longer in the garage than we would have liked. We have not achieved what we wanted to during this first test and a good amount of work has now shifted into next week's second and final test. That is frustrating but all part of testing; it's important to face these challenges head on before the season proper starts.

"Pace wise, we made solid progress today but the W17 has been harder to keep in a happy window here compared to Barcelona. We have a decent baseline to take into next week but it's clear that some of our competitors, who have had a smoother first test, are in a better position than us and that we have work to do to catch up. Hopefully we can begin to do that during the second test next week."

McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team concluded Bahrain Pre-Season Testing 1 with 161 laps completed by Oscar Piastri, the second consecutive day a McLaren Mastercard driver has covered the most distance. This results in a total distance of 2,283.864km from 422 total laps completed by Lando and Oscar across three days of productive running at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Oscar started Friday morning's session on a similar programme to the one completed by Lando during yesterday's running. This involved further aerodynamic testing for the team, focusing on a number of runs with aero rakes attached to collect valuable data. This will provide further understanding and development across all areas of the MCL40 before moving on to longer runs.

The afternoon session saw the team move onto additional race simulation with lots of laps completed, providing important practice for Oscar as he performed multiple overtaking maneuvers, giving the Australian driver key insight into race preparation and what managing the car in traffic could look like this season.

Overall, the first week of Pre-Season Testing has given the team the opportunity to gather key learnings across all areas including car setup, exploiting power unit performance, and overall reliability.

The team recognises that there will be lots of opportunities for further learning throughout next week's Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2. However, before the MCL40 returns to track action on Wednesday, all data from the last three days in Sakhir will be reviewed and analysed collectively with the entire team, both trackside and in Woking.

Full plans for McLaren Mastercard's Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2 programme will be announced in due course, with Lando and Oscar continuing to share driving duties throughout the final week of 2026's pre-season testing.

Oscar Piastri: "A productive first week of testing done. The car ran well and we've learned a lot about what it likes and what it doesn't like. It's going to take a while to get used to driving these cars and how to get the most out of them, so there's still a lot to learn. I am looking forward to getting back out there next week and keeping this learning going. A big thanks to the team for their work which has meant we've been able to get a lot of laps on the board and maximise our programme."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal: "Today concludes a constructive and productive first phase of Pre-Season Testing in Bahrain with a total of 2,283.864km completed by Lando and Oscar across the last three days. This is very encouraging to see with lots of key learnings to take away. With that said, and while it is still difficult to accurately identify the order of performance, it is clear that Mercedes and Ferrari are currently more competitive than us. We have some work to do to find performance ahead of the second test next week and the first race in Melbourne.

"From a testing perspective, both drivers have provided valuable data from every individual lap in each of their sessions. The aerodynamic testing undertaken both yesterday and today provides the team with particularly valuable information that will play an important part on the next steps of our development for the MCL40. It was also useful for Lando and Oscar to complete race simulations as part of their programme, including some running with other cars. There are some areas we need to work on, both as a team and as a sport, but we leave the first test with a better understanding of these requirements.

"Finally, thanks go to the team for their hard work and dedication to get us to this point. There is still a significant amount of work to do, but each lap we complete gives us additional learning, and that isn't possible without the hard work of the team both here in Bahrain and back in Woking. We look forward to heading back out on track next week."

Max Verstappen: "Looking at the test overall, the Team got in a good number of laps on the first day so we were happy with that. We completed a lot of things that we wanted to test with the new power unit and the car in general. Today it was a continuation of that plus also trying to explore a little bit more with the car; you go through so many test items that it continues to change and evolve with everything that you are testing. In general, it is all so new that we are still learning a lot, but the car was good. We also have new tyres, so we spent some time looking at different sets and understanding what we need to improve and be better at. With the power unit, looking at the laps we got on the board, the start that we have had is good. That's exactly what we wanted to do and it was not a given. Whether it will be enough to win races, we don't know, we will just focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can, but there is still massive room for improvement. Finally, with the car, we learnt a lot about what worked and what didn't. Our runs also gave us even more ideas for the afternoon with Isack and then for next week, where we can continue to try new things and different set ups."

Isack Hadjar: "The first week here in Bahrain has gone well. Of course, I had to wait a little before getting in the car after Barcelona, but once I did, we were able to put it to the test and really work through what we need ahead of next week and Melbourne. There are so many things to look at, but we're staying on track with our programme so far. True performance and pace are always hard to judge in pre-season, but we can be happy with the reliability we've had from the power unit this week. There are still things to work on in terms of balance and tyre management, but that's completely normal for this time of year. We're working through it together as a Team to get where we want to be for Australia. I've known the people here for a while now, but it's great to be working with them again in an environment like this."

Pierre Wache, Technical Director: "It has been a positive week, running a full day with Max, with plenty of testing time as we worked on understanding the car and the direction to go in with the power unit. Unfortunately, on day two we had some problems with the hydraulics on the chassis side, which compromised Isack's running in the morning but we were able to recover this in the afternoon. This morning with Max we evaluated set-ups and saw some good direction and this was similar with Isack this afternoon, so it's been quite positive with the mileage done this week. We need to make sure the car continues to develop a lot more to improve the issue on the balance side and we know that there is a lot of room for improvement. Our drivers are very motivated and have given us a lot of feedback on where we can improve the car and how we can change the direction of development. In general, Red Bull Ford Powertrains has done a remarkable job as a start-up; in three and a half years we have created a power unit and have it out running on track, which is fantastic. The second step is to see where we are sitting compared to others and improve. There were a few teams which were clearly very quick today and it looks like we are behind, so there is still a lot to improve. Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari are there at the top. It is a massive learning curve, there are plenty of unknowns and a lot to do. We have been evaluating our weaknesses and strengths and are just focusing on improving the car. We go into next week looking at what we can bring to the car to make it better and solve the issues we have identified."

Lewis Hamilton was at the wheel of the SF-26 for the third and final day of the first pre-season test at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit. The Scuderia Ferrari HP driver ran through the day’s programme, completing 149 laps (808 km). Over the three days of this test, the car ran a total of 423 laps (2.291 km)

Morning. Lewis took to the track shortly after 10 local time, and for all the first part of the day, the car was fitted with C3 compound tyres. The programme centred on a continuation of set-up work and on acquiring data, as had been the case in previous days. Particular attention was paid to comparing different car configurations, as well as assessing tyre behaviour. Hamilton did 69 laps (374 km), with a variety of run lengths. His best time in the morning was a 1’34”209.

Afternoon. After the lunchbreak, Lewis continued running the C3 tyres, gathering more data and learning more about the car. In the second part of the afternoon, the two other compounds came into play, first the C1 and finally the C2, thus completing a comparison of all three available compounds. In the afternoon, Hamilton did 80 laps (433 km), having had another busy and useful day in terms of SF-26 development. Scuderia Ferrari HP will be back on track next week for the second and final pre-season test session, again at the Sakhir circuit, starting on Wednesday.

Lewis Hamilton: "It’s been a positive week overall. We completed a lot of laps and went through the full programme, which allowed us to gather plenty of useful data and learn more about the car. The SF-26 has felt generally good, but this generation of car is quite complex and finding the right operating window, especially with the tyres, is key. We’ve made some good discoveries and also identified areas where we can improve. We still have another test ahead of us, which will be important to build on what we’ve learned and continue making progress."

Frédéric Vasseur Team Principal: "Going into the season, the target was to make the most of the first test sessions by accumulating mileage and collecting as much data as possible. So far, everything has gone well from an operational point of view, with good reliability and plenty of laps completed, which is important both for our preparation and to analyse the data back in the factory. We will use this information to continue improving the car and our understanding of all procedures. Performance is a separate matter: the priority at this stage is to build knowledge and put ourselves in the best possible position ahead of Melbourne, knowing that we still have time to make further steps forward."

Alex Albon: "We knew it was going to be a challenging three days getting up to speed and starting to understand the new car and regulations. The positive is that we got quite a few laps under our belt and the car seems reliable, which is never easy for the first week of testing. On my side, getting to grips with a new car has been a challenge, but I am enjoying the intricacies of it. There’s a lot of improvement to be done and a lot to learn to bring a better package for the next round of testing, so it will be a busy next week of really digging in to the data."

Carlos Sainz: "Overall, it’s been good to test the car properly these past days and be able to do as many laps as we have done. We are still playing catch up on certain things, but doing over 210 laps has given me a much better understanding of what we can expect this year. The cars feel very different and it’s going to be a challenging season, but this is nothing new and I’m up for the challenge. It’s still early days to discuss performance in detail and compare ourselves to our direct competitors, but it is clear that the gap between teams is not as tight as last year, at least not for now. What is important for me is that we have identified the main areas we want to focus on in the upcoming weeks and I hope that we can improve gradually as we get closer to Melbourne. There is a lot of work ahead of us as a team so there is no time to lose."

Franco Colapinto: "It was good to end the week with so many laps on the board and it is positive to go into the weekend now with a lot to look at and understand.

"The car ran well today, we really targeted doing a lot of laps to continue building up my experience in the car. Pierre had a good day yesterday and the car felt in a decent place straight away this morning, which allowed me to build everything up run by run, lap by lap.

"We did a real mix of running and tests and began to have a feel and more detail into how the car behaves. I think we have ended the week in a good place. We completed 318 laps in total as a team, and there is a lot more to do next week when testing resumes.

"Lots to learn and I leave this test in a much better place than when we started so a big thanks to the entire team for their amazing work this week."

The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team has completed its first week of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, with Lance Stroll returning to the wheel of the AMR26.

Lance headed out on track at approximately 10:30, completing running across both the morning and afternoon sessions, as the team focused on aero mapping as well as low and high fuel runs. He completed a total of 72 laps during the day.

Across the three days in Bahrain, the AMR26 completed a total of 206 laps between Lance and Fernando, allowing the team to gather valuable data during the opening week of testing. The drivers will return to the cockpit next week for the second phase of testing, before final preparations begin for Melbourne.

Mike Krack: "After completing the shakedown in Barcelona, we have now finished our first test of the new season. We ran into some issues earlier in the week, and that's exactly why we go testing - especially with new regulations. This whole package is very fresh, so it takes time to understand all the different elements and identify where we need to improve. A big thank you to the entire team for the hours worked across the three days of testing. We are realistic in knowing that there is a lot of performance still to unlock in this package, and it is important that we analyse all of our learnings ahead of next week."

Pedro de la Rosa: "It's clear after the first week of the first pre-season test here in Bahrain that we are behind schedule and not where we want to be. We had limited running in Barcelona and we ran into some issues on day one of the test this week in Bahrain. Fernando and Lance have logged some decent mileage over the last few days, but we are catching up and always learning about the new package. We have the talent and resources to improve the car, and the team and our partners are all working incredibly hard to make this happen, both at track and back at Silverstone."

Alan Permane, Team Principal: "We've had a productive week this week, spending it learning as much as we can about the chassis, the power unit, the performance and how they all integrate. Like everyone in the paddock at this stage, we've encountered a few teething issues, adjusting settings and uncovering the unexpected, but that's all part of the process and without reliability, there's no foundation for performance. We're on a steep learning curve and every time the car leaves the garage, we make improvements. I'd say from where we were at the start of Barcelona, to where we are today, is night and day.

"The power unit has been mightily impressive. We've concentrated on mileage over performance, running high-fuel programmes and making chassis adjustments where we can. We had a couple of reliability issues, which cost us some track time. However, we made significant improvements in the operation and the integration across the power unit, the chassis particularly with gear shifts and starts, where all these functions have vastly improved.

"The next stage will all be fine tuning and that process will continue through the season. The important thing is that we're building a strong baseline and putting solutions in place ahead of Melbourne. We'll continue pushing reliability in next week's test, while starting to shift a little more focus towards performance.

"Looking forward to seeing you all again next week. Enjoy your weekend in between."

The Cadillac Formula 1® Team marked another significant step in its journey to the 2026 grid by successfully completing three days of official pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain, from February 11 – 13.

Valtteri Bottas and Checo Pérez shared driving duties over the week, building on the progress made during the Barcelona shakedown at the end of January. The duo covered over 320 laps between them, with a focus on honing balance and set up, exploring tire behavior, energy management and building up mileage, plus multiple race procedures.

Both drivers completed race simulations to give detailed learnings and valuable data to set the team up well for the final test next week, the last track time ahead of the American squad's debut at the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.

Valtteri Bottas: "Overall, a really valuable three days. From each lap, each run, each day we improved in many areas. There still remains a lot of work to be done but we are fixing issues, we are getting better all the time, and this is down to all the hard work in Silverstone, in the U.S., and everyone here at the track. It's really been a privilege to be driving an official F1 test session as a race driver for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team."

Checo Pérez: "It's been a really positive test, with so many learnings across every area. The progress is incredible. I've enjoyed being back in the car and, together with Valtteri, we've got a lot of information to set us up well for the test next week. There are still some things to improve, of course, but generally we are moving forward, gelling as a team and enjoying getting the most out of the car and each other."

Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal: "We came here after a very productive shakedown week in Barcelona with the objective to start exploring the car and how it reacts to set-up changes and getting mileage. I'm really happy with the progress that we made. Over the course of the three days, we've covered over 1,700 km – more than five race distances. This is huge considering how many kilometres we've done so far. The data this gives us as a new team is invaluable – not just in finding balance and performance, but also in coming together as a slick team unit. With a further three days of testing left, we'll now focus on race procedures and extracting performance, setting us in good stead for our debut in less than a month's time."

TGR Haas F1 Team drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon racked up an additional 145 laps on Friday to take the team's lap count in the first week of pre-season testing to 390 – 2,110.68 kilometers (1,311.51 miles).

Bearman was first out behind the wheel of the VF-26 – promptly as pit-lane opened at 10:00 local. The Brit started the session with quali sims on Pirelli's C3 tire, followed by sustained running on the C1 and C2 compounds. Setting his best lap time, a 1:35.972 on softs, Bearman logged 70 laps to take his first week's total to 200 laps completed.

Ocon was back for the final afternoon, and the Frenchman similarly worked through the tire allocation, first focusing on race simulations, before quali sims. The session finished with full crew pit-stops as track time drew to an end early evening under the lights at the Sakhir circuit, a 1:35.753 and 75 laps closing Ocon's account for the week.

The second week of official pre-season testing keeps TGR Haas F1 Team at the Bahrain International Circuit, February 18-20, followed by the opening round of the 24-race 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship – the Australian Grand Prix, March 6-8.

Ollie Bearman: "It was another good day, making progress with the set-up and finding out more about these cars. It's good to have a couple of days now to dig deeper into the data with the team so we can create a comprehensive list of what we need to work on for next week, but already, we have done a lot of work and found good steps. I'm looking forward to next week already."

Esteban Ocon: "We've finished the first week, and it's taken a lot from everyone to be able to complete that amount of laps. We didn't have any major issues, and we completed programs, which is very positive. I don't think anyone will understand how much work and effort there has been inside our garage, engineering office and back at our factories to get that many laps in, and climb mountains to be ready every time the track turns green. We've made progress, and although there are still things to look at, overall it puts us into a good position for week two, and we know what we're going to work on."

Ayao Komatsu – Team Principal: "We had another productive day, splitting it with Ollie in the morning and Esteban in the afternoon. It was a similar run program, but really a continuation from yesterday, looking at the sensitivity of the chassis set-up items, getting energy deployment more consistent, qualifying practice, high-fuel runs, and we've ticked all the boxes. We've made another step in understanding the car, which is great, and now we have several days to digest that data and plan for the final test. Thanks to this amazing reliability, we've done 145 laps today, that's great. We can keep the car running, and when it's on track, we can understand more every time. It was also very good to have both drivers in the car on the same day, working together to make progress. I'm very pleased with this whole test, we've made good progress."

Audi Revolut F1 Team completed a productive day of on-track action at the Bahrain International Circuit, as the first week of Pre-Season Testing came to an end. The three days of running helped the team further becoming familiar with its 2026 challenger, the R26, following an initial shakedown held in Barcelona a fortnight ago. Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg completed a total of 118 laps today, bringing the team’s three-day tally to 354 laps overall – covering 1,915.85 kilometres. Action will resume in a week’s time under the lights of Sakhir, with the final three days of 2026 pre-season testing.

Nico Hulkenberg: “Another solid afternoon and a productive end to the week on my side. There’s been a lot to take in - testing different setups, exploring the car, running through various power unit settings. It’s been full-on, but we’ve gathered a huge amount of info over the three days. Now it’s about taking a few days to digest and analyse everything, piece it all together, and prepare the next steps for the final test"

Gabriel Bortoleto: “Overall, it’s been a positive, productive few days of testing for the team. We gathered a great amount of valuable data and learned much more about our car and how to really maximise its potential – something to work on before we hit the track again in a few days. I am looking forward to next week, to bring the whole package together, put in some more strong laps, and finally start turning all the hard work into reality.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal of Audi Revolut F1 Team: “Our three-day test in Bahrain was a productive and encouraging step forward for the team. We completed over 600 kilometres each day, which is a strong indication of the car’s early reliability and a testament to all the hard work and dedication behind the scenes.

"Beyond the mileage, we gathered valuable insights into the behaviour of the car and how our systems are operating under live conditions. Operationally, this test was an important validation of our procedures, and we’ve seen clear progress in communication, execution, and cross-team coordination.

"The next phase is about recovery, refinement and ensuring that we are fully prepared for the remaining test days. There’s still work to be done, but the foundations we’re building now will be critical for the season ahead.”

The first pre-season test in Bahrain concluded with a Mercedes one-two at the top of the timesheets. Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap of 1:33.669s, beating teammate George Russell by 0.249s. Behind them, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton clocked a 1:34.209s. All three drivers, running on the C3 compound, were not only the quickest today but recorded the fastest times overall across the three days in Sakhir.

Taking the full 24 hours of track activity from Wednesday to Friday into account, Antonelli and Russell are the only drivers to have broken the 1:34 barrier. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who finished the day fourth, set the best times on the two hardest compounds, posting a 1:36.234s on the C2 and a 1:36.899s on the C1. However, these benchmarks still stand to the credit of Lando Norris (McLaren) for the C2 (1:34.669s) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) for the C1 (1:35.631s).

Following yesterday's trend, several teams focused on race simulations. Piastri pushed a set of C1s for 24 laps and a set of C2s for 22 laps. The longest runs on the C3 were completed by the two Mercedes drivers, with 18 laps each.

Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director: "These first three days of testing in Bahrain have been useful in confirming, following the shakedown week in Barcelona, that the results gathered during last year's development tests with mule cars are sufficiently representative. Compound characteristics seem to be in line with expectations and feedback from drivers has been positive. The new compounds have maintained good mechanical resistance, reducing the appearance of graining, as verified over the last few days, and seem to keep overheating under control.

"It is clear that drivers are still adapting to the power delivery system. Evidence of some flat spots on the tyres suggests that drivers may have changed their approach to corners. On corner exit, by contrast, the electric power delivery tends to make the rear axle slip, increasing the surface temperature of the tyres and causing a slight loss of grip.

"Next week, we expect teams to focus more on performance runs, though likely without revealing their full potential. Combined with the race simulations from these past few days, we will have a clearer picture of what to expect for the start of the season. This will allow us to refine the compound selections for races from Miami onwards, the first event for which tyres have not yet been shipped."

Throughout today's 8-hour session, teams most frequently opted for the C3 compound, which covered 687 laps (48%). The C2 reached 431 laps (30%), while the hardest C1 covered 306 laps (21%). As expected, there were no surprises in these figures. Temperatures were slightly higher than on Wednesday and Thursday; the track reached 44°C (with a minimum of 27°C), while ambient air stayed between 27°C and 33°C.

Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), and Arvin Lindblad (Racing Bulls) did not drive today.

Across the three days of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, a total of 20.673 kilometres were covered by all cars, with 51% of that distance on the C3. Regarding sets used, the softest option (C3) saw 144 sets, compared to 79 for the C2 and 42 for the C1.

Teams and drivers now have a brief rest before the next session begins next Wednesday, again in Bahrain. While only the three hardest slick compounds were available this week, the next test will allow teams to choose an allocation of 24 sets including the full Pirelli range from C1 to C5. It will also be possible to carry over used sets of the first test week with no more than 9 laps on them.