George Russell dominates the morning of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain and surpasses Hamilton and Verstappen’s marks

This Friday morning marked the end of the first stage of collective testing of the Fórmula 1 in 2026, with the George Russell placing the Mercedes at the top of the time table in the Circuito of Sakhir. The British driver demonstrated consistency throughout the morning session, managing to surpass the marks set by Lewis Hamilton, now in Ferrari, and by the current champion Max Verstappen, from Red Bull. The German team’s performance suggests a promising start to this new technical cycle of the category, although pre-season times must be analyzed with caution due to variations in fuel load and engine mapping.

The Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, debuting in the Audi, had a morning of intense work and learning, completing a total of 60 laps on the Bahraini circuit. Bortoleto ended the participation with the ninth best time among the 11 drivers who took to the track, focusing mainly on race simulations and adapting to the systems of the German team’s new power unit. The young Brazilian talent faced some typical adaptation challenges, including a brief escape in the last corner of the circuit, but managed to return without damage to his equipment to meet the schedule established by the engineers.

The track activities in this first round of tests presented the following operational highlights:

• George Russell set the benchmark in the early hours of the morning.
• Gabriel Bortoleto prioritized the mileage and reliability of Audi’s car.
• Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen maintained testing programs focused on long runs.
• Rookie team Cadillac faced significant mechanical interruptions during the session.
• Track temperatures at Bahrein remained stable, favoring the collection of aerodynamic data.

Locked in for Day 3 😤

Take a look at who’s driving on the final day of the first test in Bahrain!#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/P4M7OTqxrc

—Formula 1 (@F1)February 13, 2026

Cadillac debut is marked by technical problems and red flag interruption

The session started off in a lively fashion with Franco Colapinto, from Alpine, being the first to leave the pits to take advantage of the milder track conditions. However, the pace of work was abruptly interrupted in the first minutes due to a new mechanical failure in the Cadillac car, this time driven by the experienced Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver had to pull the single-seater over to the side of the track, causing a red flag to be signaled and activities to be temporarily halted to remove the vehicle and clean the area.

This incident reinforces the difficulties faced by the new North American team at the beginning of its trajectory in the elite of world motorsport. Bottas was only able to return to the Sakhir route close to the final hour of training, which considerably limited the collection of crucial information for the development of the project. The team’s engineers are now working around the clock to identify the causes of recurring breakdowns before the official start of the season, aiming to ensure that reliability does not compromise performance in the first races of the year.

Driver performance and track incidents on the last morning of Sakhir

After the green flag returned, George Russell quickly regained control of the session and recorded the lap that would keep him in the lead until the end of the morning. Ele surpassed the time of Lewis Hamilton, which continues in a meticulous adaptation process to the Ferrari cockpit after decades linked to the Embora the time table draws fans’ attention, the teams reinforce that the main focus at this stage is to validate the wind tunnel data and ensure that the cooling of the internal components is working as designed for the desert climate.

In addition to Bortoleto’s escape, other pilots also tested the limits of the Bahraini asphalt during the morning. Liam Lawson, from Esses Minor incidents are common during pre-season as drivers seek to understand the braking points and grip of the new tire compounds supplied for the 2026 championship.

Driver schedule for the afternoon session and official broadcasts

The official schedule indicates that the track will receive cars again from 3pm local time on Bahrein, which is equivalent to 9am on Brasília. Para In the afternoon, several teams chose to rotate their starting drivers to balance the mileage between the competitors. Andrea Kimi Antonelli will take the wheel of Mercedes in place of Russell, while Isack Hadjar will take part in the Red Bull program, replacing Verstappen for the late afternoon evaluations.

Other confirmed changes include Alexander Albon to Williams, Esteban Ocon to Haas and Nico Hulkenberg to Audi, the latter sharing responsibilities with Sergio Pérez will make its debut on the day for Cadillac, taking on the difficult task of making up for time lost by Bottas in the morning. Permanecerão pilots Hamilton, Lawson, Stroll and

Expectations for the end of the first week of activities in the desert

The completion of this first round of testing will provide factories with a robust database for final adjustments before the second week of testing. Technicians will analyze every detail of the telemetry collected by Russell, Hamilton and the other competitors to understand the initial grid hierarchy. It is expected that the teams that showed greater reliability, such as Mercedes and Ferrari, will begin to focus more on pure performance in the next open track days.

Analyzing the cars’ behavior in conditions of strong wind and suspended sand is vital for success in the opening Grande Prêmio. With the 2026 regulations bringing unprecedented aerodynamic challenges, each lap completed without fail represents a significant competitive advantage over direct opponents. The Brazilian public remains attentive to the development of Gabriel Bortoleto, which demonstrated solidity by delivering the volume of laps requested by Audi, positioning itself as a resilient competitor in this preparation phase.

Technical details and the impact of reliability on new power units

The introduction of the new engine rules in 2026 has been the big turning point in these early days at Bahrein. The Enquanto George Russell and the Mercedes appear to have found an early balance between torque delivery and thermal efficiency, other automakers still struggle to keep components operating within the ideal temperature window. The breakdown of the Cadillac with the Bottas is a clear example of how the integration between the chassis and the new power unit is complex and requires months of fine calibration in a real track environment.

The engineers explain that the weather fluctuations observed this Friday morning also reflect the different types of tires used. Enquanto some drivers looked for more aggressive brands with soft compounds, others like Bortoleto and Lawson focused on medium hard tires to simulate the conditions they will encounter during the middle of the official races. Esse game of technical chess hides the true performance of the cars, which should only be fully revealed during the qualifying session of the first stage of the world championship.

The dynamics of testing in Bahrein allows teams to make drastic configuration changes between one pit exit and another. Russell took advantage of this flexibility to test different suspension heights, seeking to minimize the “porpoising” effect that affected cars in past regulations. The success of the Mercedes in maintaining the morning lead indicates that the W17 car has a stable platform, allowing the British driver to gain confidence to explore the obstacles of the Sakhir circuit with greater aggression than his direct rivals.

Logistics and monitoring of track sessions at Bahrein

For fans who follow Brasil, coverage of the test sessions has been guaranteed by live broadcasts that show the decisive moments of the activities. Real-time monitoring allows you to observe not only lap times, but also the body language of the cars in the most challenging corners. The second week of testing promises to be even more intense, with expanded broadcasts that will cover the full period of the afternoon sessions, where race simulations usually take place under temperatures closer to those that will be faced in the official GP.

The presence of young names like Bearman, Colapinto and Hadjar alongside veterans like Hamilton and Bottas creates an interesting renewal environment for the category. Fórmula 1 enters 2026 with the aim of being more sustainable and competitive, and the balance seen in this morning’s timetable suggests that performance convergence could happen faster than expected. Russell ends his morning with a feeling of accomplishment, leaving the car in ideal conditions for Antonelli to continue development work in the afternoon under the scorching desert sun.

The Sakhir circuit will continue to be the center of attention of the motor world until the end of the day, when all teams will collect their equipment for laboratory analysis. The focus now turns to the reaction capacity of teams that faced problems, such as Cadillac and Audi itself, which seeks to refine Bortoleto’s adjustments. Cada minute of open track is precious, and George Russell’s leadership serves as a tonic of confidence for Mercedes, which seeks to regain absolute protagonism in the most technological era in the history of