Bahrain Testing - Days 1, 2, and 3

The first round of Formula One testing was a private shakedown event in Barcelona. The three testing days in Bahrain were therefore the first occasion for the public to see the state of the 2026 contenders. With the new regulations promising a shakeup in the order, the eyes of all fans were directed towards the track. 

The structure of the testing days was familiar to all those who had watched them in the previous seasons. Each team had one car at its disposal, meaning that only one of its drivers could be out on track at any given time. Each day was divided into two parts: the first of two four-hour segments starting at 10am local time, followed by an hour-long lunch break, and the second segment. The one difference from the previous iterations of the tests was that only the last hour was televised, whereas usually the fans could follow along from the moment the lights at the end of the pitlane. 

Day One

During the first of the three testing days, most teams opted to divide the track time among their drivers, with only Haas, Red Bull, Racing Bulls, and Aston Martin deciding to keep one person inside the car for the full eight hours. Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, Arvid Lindblad, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, and Valtteri Bottas could be seen on track during the morning session.

As is always the case during testing days, flow-vis paint and aero rakes made a quick appearance on various cars. By using them, the teams slowly began gathering all the necessary data, a task to which the session lent itself perfectly for some time, providing pleasant weather and virtually no interruptions. This changed as Franco Colapinto stopped during one of his laps, bringing out the first red flag of the season. His car was promptly cleared away, and he was able to return to the circuit before the lunch break. Verstappen managed the quickest time of all those who had the chance to go out on track.

While Verstappen, Lindblad, Stroll, and Ocon remained in their cars for the second part of the day, the other teams switched out their drivers, with Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, and Sergio Perez making their first official appearance. The afternoon session did not go without a hitch, with the appearance of a second red flag, this one brought out by Hulkenberg, who, just like Colapinto had before him, stopped on track. Problems could also be seen within specific teams. Antonelli only did one lap before disappearing into the pits and coming out with only an hour left on the clock, and Stroll managed to complete less than 40 laps despite being in the car for the full eight hours. 

At the end of the day, it was Norris who was quickest of all, with Verstappen and Leclerc not far behind. The Red Bull driver also did the most laps out of anyone, with 136 under his belt.

Day Two

Six teams decided to go for the one-driver approach for the second day, with Norris, Hadjar, Leclerc, Alonso, Bearman, and Gasly set to spend the full eight hours behind the steering wheels of their cars. Antonelli, Albon, Lawson, Hulkenberg, and Perez joined them for the morning session. None of them got to drive for long, as only ten minutes into the session, Perez's Cadillac stopped on the track. It did not touch any of the barriers, so it wasn't long before it was cleared out and the session could be resumed. 

The person facing the most trouble was Hadjar, who spent most of the session inside the garage. He appeared on track with only one minute left on the clock. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Ferrari's Leclerc, who managed to complete the session with relatively few interruptions and with the quickest time out of all 11 drivers. 

Mercedes, Williams, Racing Bulls, Audi, and Cadillac exchanged their drivers after the lunch break. This session was stopped two times, first due to debris on the track, and then as a result of Gasly's Alpine refusing to comply. Leclerc's morning time remained at the very top of the leaderboard. This time, it was Norris who completed the most laps, reaching 149 and beating Verstappen's Wednesday score. At the same time, trouble seemed to be brewing in the Mercedes garage, as throughout the day, the British team only managed 57 turns around the track. 

Day Three

On the last of the three testing days, five teams decided to keep one driver behind the wheel for the full eight hours, with Piastri, Hamilton, Lawson, Stroll, and Colapinto set to put in all the work. In the first of the two sessions, they were joined by Russell, Verstappen, Sainz, Bearman, Bortoleto, and Bottas. This time, the cars wasted no time before making it to the track, with the teams eager to get as much data as possible. 

Cadillac's Thursday problems seemed to transfer to Friday as, once again, it was their car stopping on track that brought out the session's first and only red flag. Bottas spent quite a while in the pits, but did rejoin the track before his four hours ran out. Still, he didn't manage the quickest time; that honour went to Russell. 

Mercedes continued their promising run in the second session of the day, with Antonelli improving on his teammate's time and going to the top of the standings, where he would later finish. The last four hours of the first round of testing almost went by without an interruption. Unfortunately, Hamilton denied the possibility of a clean slate when he parked up on the track, having completed over 150 laps. 

As is always the case with testing, the times the drivers managed to achieve may not be entirely representative of their form. The goal of the teams is not to show off or go full speed, but rather to test various aspects that could go on to affect their performance throughout the season. The three days in Bahrain won't be their last chance to do so. On Wednesday Ferbruary 18th, the teams will return to the track for three more days of tests.