2026 Formula 1 Bahrain preseason test: Tough morning for Red Bull & Mercedes, Leclerc fastest

While the first day was not a great one for Mercedes, Red Bull had a decent run with Max Verstappen showing decent pace and reliability with the RB22.

But all that positivity for Red Bull Racing evaporated as Isack Hadjar did not make it out on track until very late in the morning session when he just managed one lap.

It appeared that the Milton Keynes squad had been dealing with a hydraulic leak on the RB22, which kept it in the garage all morning.

It was not better for Mercedes, whose Kimi Antonelli suffered from suspension issues on Wednesday afternoon, which hampered his running.

The young Italian just managed three laps before returning to the garage, with Mercedes reportedly proceeding with an engine change on the W17.

Leclerc, who will be driving the full day for Ferrari, set the fastest lap of the session, a 1:34.273, which was almost four tenths faster than what Lando Norris achieved on Wednesday. The Monegasque managed 62 laps.

Norris, also flying solo for McLaren, was second fastest with 64 laps on the board with Pierre Gasly third fastest in the Alpine and racking up 61 laps. The Frenchman will also be on duty all day for his team.

Ollie Bearman was in the cockpit of the Haas VF-26 after his teammate Esteban Ocon was driving on the first day. The young Briton posted the fourth fastest time while accumulating 55 laps.

Williams continued their strong showing with Alex Albon's 62 laps and the fifth fastest time. The Thai driver will hand the FW48 over to Carlos Sainz for the PM session.

Nico Hulkenberg was sixth fastest in the Audi R26 with 47 laps and will hand the driving duties over to Gabriel Bortoleto after the lunch break.

After suffering from technical issue on Wednesday afternoon, Racing Bulls had a better morning with Liam Lawson who was seventh fastest while putting in 50 laps. Arvid Lindblad will be back in the car later in the day.

Sergio Perez kicked off the second day for Cadillac but not in a good way as he brought out the first and only Red Flag after stopping at Turn 10.

The Mexican recovered to manage 42 laps and the eighth best time before Valtteri Bottas does some driving in the afternoon.

Aston Martin also enjoyed a better day after Wednesday's woes. Fernando Alonso too the AMR26 around the Bahrain International Circuit 55 times and was ninth fastest. The Spaniard will do all the driving for his team today.

With Mercedes' issues, Antonelli did not manage a timed lap and his lap counter will stay at three as George Russell will take over the W17 in the afternoon while Hadjar will hope for some running later since Max Verstappen will be watching from the sidelines.