Leclerc’s leadership marks Ferrari tests in Bahrain and Brazilian Bortoleto ends the day in sixth

The Monegasque Charles Leclerc set a strong pace and secured the best time on the second day of pre-season testing of the Fórmula 1, held in the heat of the Circuito Internacional of the Bahrein. Aboard the Ferrari, the driver clocked 1min34s273 during the afternoon session, consolidating the dominance of the Italian team that had already led the activities in the morning. The performance reinforces the stability of the project for the 2026 season, with the car responding well to the demands of the track and completing extensive mileage without significant mechanical failures.

While Ferrari stood out at the top of the table, the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto continued with its adaptation program at Audi. The rookie ended the day in sixth place, accumulating 67 important laps for the development of the German manufacturer’s car. Apesar from a brief exit from the track during a fast lap attempt, Bortoleto demonstrated constant progress in setting up the vehicle and understanding the new tires in high temperature conditions.

Team performance and surprises on the grid

The time table revealed an interesting competitiveness just behind the leader. Lando Norris placed McLaren in second place, just over half a second behind Leclerc, which indicates a promising aerodynamic package for the British team. The big surprise of the day was Oliver Bearman, who took Haas to third place, exceeding initial expectations and showing that the American team may have found efficient solutions for the new regulations.

George Russell kept the Mercedes close to the lead group, focusing more on race pace than qualifying laps. Red Bull, with Isack Hadjar, closed the top 5, adopting a conservative strategy of hiding the real performance game. The rest of the top 10 was made up of Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), Alexander Albon (Williams) and Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), all working intensely in long stint simulations.

Incidents and interruptions on the track

The session did not go without setbacks, requiring the intervention of the race direction at two different moments. The first red flag was raised to clean up debris left by Valtteri Bottas’s car, after a rear-view mirror came off at high speed. The incident was resolved quickly, allowing actions to resume.

Later, a mechanical failure on Alpine of Pierre Gasly caused the second stoppage, forcing teams to adjust their final schedules. Nos decisive moments of training, safety procedure tests were carried out, including yellow flag and safety car simulations, as well as start tests to validate the clutch systems of the new single-seaters.

Illustrious and behind-the-scenes visits

The Bahrein paddock had presences that went beyond the world of motorsport, attracting attention from the international media. Actor Keanu Reeves was seen closely following the operations of Cadillac, showing great interest in the technology used by the new grid team.

Another prominent figure was tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, invited by Aston Martin to experience behind the scenes of the highest category of motor sport. The presence of global celebrities during pre-season testing reinforces the commercial appeal and audience expansion that Fórmula 1 continues to seek in this new regulatory phase.