F1's 2026 Pre-Season Test: What We Know After Day One in Bahrain

Last Updated:February 20, 2026, 11:05 IST

Mercedes tops Bahrain testing as Russell shows strong pace. Ferrari, McLaren impress; Red Bull, Haas, Cadillac struggle. New 2026 rules complicate starts.

Formula 1’s second and final pre-season test is underway in Bahrain, and after just one day of running at the Bahrain International Circuit, the picture is starting to get a little clearer.

With the season opener in Australia on March 6-8 just around the corner, teams are beginning to push harder, surface new parts, and face some tricky questions about the sport’s biggest rule overhaul in years.

Here is a breakdown of everything that happened, what it means, and what to watch for as testing rolls on.

Mercedes Looks Like the Team to Beat

George Russell topped the overall timesheet on Day One of the second Bahrain test, clocking a 1m 33.459s. But single-lap times in testing do not tell the full story. What matters more is how a car holds up over longer stretches of laps, and that is where Mercedes really stood out.

Looking at the long-run data from Wednesday, Russell was the quickest and most consistent driver on track during the final two hours of the afternoon session. His best nine-lap time was 1m 36.077s, with the rest of his laps all landing between 1m 36.4s and 1m 36.7s. That kind of consistency is hard to fake.

Kimi Antonelli also put in three solid long runs in the morning, all averaging in the 1m 37.6-1m 37.7s range on the same tyre compound. The 18-year-old logged 69 laps on the day, just nine fewer than Russell’s leading tally of 76.

Mercedes also brought new parts to the W17. Speaking to F1, Trackside chief Andrew Shovlin said “they seem to be doing what we hoped" as the team worked through set-up changes. He added they have been able to “keep the car in a good window" and keep tyre wear under control.

Ferrari Is Quietly Getting into the Mix

Ferrari flew a little under the radar during the first Bahrain test, but Day One of the second test gave people something to talk about. Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap of the morning session at 1m 33.739s, and the Scuderia brought a new aerodynamic part, a small wing behind the exhaust, designed to add downforce and stability.

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton lost around 90 minutes of track time in the afternoon due to a technical issue, but he returned for the closing hour and ended the day in seventh overall.

Speaking at the official press conference, Hamilton sounded upbeat.

“I feel like we’ve made progress compared to last week and I’m continuing to build my understanding of the car," he said. “We’re still working on fine-tuning the balance, but we’re moving in the right direction."

Ferrari has reportedly designed its turbocharger specifically to reduce the time needed to spool up before a race start, which could give the team an edge when racing actually begins. More on that below.

McLaren Staying Steady

Reigning World Champions McLaren had a productive day, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri sharing the car and combining for 124 laps. Piastri finished second on the overall timesheet at 1m 33.469s, just a fraction behind Russell.

The team is not showing all its cards just yet. The general feeling is that McLaren is inside the top four, though probably not leading the pack.

Performance chief Mark Temple told reporters from F1 that the team are “still learning with each lap, but that’s a good sign that we’re making solid progress."

Red Bull, Haas, and the Rest

Red Bull had an unusual day. Max Verstappen was not present, so rookie Isack Hadjar handled all the driving. He lost time in the morning while the team worked on the car, but Red Bull put him on a structured afternoon programme that showed solid pace. His best runs on the C3 tyre averaged in the mid-1m 36s, which puts him in the conversation.

Haas continued what has been a quietly impressive pre-season. Team boss Ayao Komatsu said the team learned “quite a lot" on Wednesday and that they have a “pretty clear direction in terms of what we need to do to improve the car." Feedback from both Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman has been positive, and senior sources suggest Haas are comfortably in the midfield at the very least.

Cadillac had a tougher day. A sensor issue slowed Sergio Perez in the morning, and a loss of telemetry disrupted some of his runs. Valtteri Bottas only managed 35 laps in the afternoon, leaving the new American team with just 59 laps for the day.

Williams, meanwhile, still has not produced any meaningfully fast long runs across either Bahrain test. Aston Martin continues to struggle with reliability, with Lance Stroll ending up in the gravel after losing the rear of the car at Turn 11, triggering a red flag.

The Biggest New Challenge: Race Starts

The 2026 technical regulations represent the biggest change to Formula 1 in years. Active aerodynamics, a new energy recovery system, and a completely revamped power unit have all arrived at the same time.

But one issue has already risen to the top of the agenda: race starts.

The previous generation of power units used a component called the MGU-H, which helped spool up the turbocharger quickly and cleanly before a launch. That system is now gone. Without it, drivers have to rev their engines at high RPM for a much longer period to get the turbo into its working range.

In Bahrain, drivers were seen revving for up to ten seconds or more before launching, with peaks above 13,000 rpm recorded.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri explained what that means in a race situation. “The difference between a good and bad start last year was you got a bit of wheelspin or you had a bad reaction time, whereas this year it could be effectively like an F2 race where you almost go into anti-stall or something. You’re not just losing five metres or so, you could be losing six or seven spots if it goes wrong," the Aussie said.

Mercedes’ George Russell added that the tricky part is that drivers cannot simply wait until their turbo is in the right window, stating, “For a race start, you go when the lights are out, you don’t go when your specific turbo is in the right window."

The FIA discussed the issue in Wednesday morning’s F1 Commission meeting and announced it will trial different start procedure timings at the end of each remaining day of testing to gather data before making a decision ahead of Melbourne.

Hamilton, for his part, downplayed the safety angle. “It’s definitely not dangerous, it’s just a longer procedure than it has been in the past."

What Comes Next

Two more days of testing remain in Bahrain before the cars get packed up and shipped to Australia. Expect race simulations to begin on Day Two and Day Three, which will give a much clearer sense of real-world pace and tyre management. Verstappen will also be back in the Red Bull on Thursday.

For now, Mercedes holds the edge on long-run data, Ferrari looks like a genuine contender, and McLaren is playing things close to the vest. The 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the most wide-open in recent memory

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