Kimi Antonelli leads F1 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain with 1:32.803 for Mercedes
Kimi The Italian driver from Mercedes clocked 1:32.803, outperforming his rivals and ensuring that the Brackley team finished at the top of the table in both days of activities this week. Oscar Piastri, from McLaren, came in second place with 1:32.861, just 0.058s behind, while Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, completed the top 3 with 1:33.162.
The day started with Lando Norris leading the morning session for McLaren, recording 1:33.453. Times dropped significantly in the afternoon, with conditions becoming more favorable as temperatures dropped. Antonelli took the lead at the end of the session, using C3 tires to set the benchmark so far in the 2026 tests.
Lewis Hamilton, now in Ferrari, finished fourth with 1:33.408, completing 78 laps despite some setbacks in previous days for the team. McLaren demonstrated consistency by accumulating the most laps of the day among the teams, with Piastri and Norris totaling 158 passes around the circuit.
Mechanical problems affected some teams during the journey. Fernando Alonso, from Aston Martin, stopped on the track in the early afternoon due to a failure, which caused a red flag and limited the team’s progress, which completed just 68 laps in total.
Standout performance from Mercedes
Mercedes consolidated its strong position in testing by leading again. Antonelli, who took over the car after George Russell in the afternoon session, completed 79 laps and showed good pace in high-performance simulations.
Russell, who had been fastest the day before, contributed to the team’s high volume of mileage, totaling 156 laps combined with Antonelli. The team took advantage of the day to evaluate various aerodynamic and engine configurations.
McLaren in the spotlight with high volume of laps
McLaren stood out for its accumulated mileage. Piastri, who replaced Norris in the afternoon, clocked 86 laps and almost got the better of Antonelli with his close time.
Norris, responsible for the morning session, completed 72 laps. The team focused on long-duration programs, collecting important data on reliability and tire management in the heat of Bahrein.
The set of results reinforces McLaren’s competitiveness in preparing for the season, especially in simulated racing scenarios.
Red Bull prioritizes mileage with Verstappen
Max Verstappen had a productive day at Red Bull, completing 139 laps, the most individual laps of the day. Seu time of 1:33.162 placed him third, 0.359s behind Antonelli.
The team focused efforts on component evaluation and extensive simulations, taking advantage of the car’s reliability to maximize track time.
Incidents and team limitations
Aston Martin faced difficulties again. Alonso stopped early in the afternoon session due to a mechanical problem, restricting the team’s progress and laps completed.
Other teams like Alpine,
Drivers such as Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) also completed significant laps, contributing to the development of their respective teams.
Second day time table
The times reflect the predominant use of C3 tires for fast laps at the end of the session.
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:32.803 – 79 laps
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:32.861 – 86 laps
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:33.162 – 139 laps
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1:33.408 – 78 laps
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:33.453 – 72 laps
Pre-season testing at Bahrein remains crucial for teams to tune cars under the new 2026 regulations, with a focus on performance, efficiency and reliability before the start of the season.
The second test at Bahrein provided valuable data on the cars’ behavior in real track conditions. Teams now analyze the information collected for the last adjustments before Grande Prêmio of Austrália.
Overall testing progress
Mercedes and McLaren have emerged as consistent forces in fast times and mileage. Red Bull prioritized volume of laps for component validation.
Ferrari, despite some setbacks with Hamilton, maintained its presence in the top 5. Equipes in the middle of the grid, like Alpine and Haas, showed advances in pace and durability.
The day highlighted the importance of thorough testing programs, with several teams opting for long simulations rather than just isolated fast laps.
The Sakhir circuit tested the limits of the new regulations, especially in thermal management and aerodynamics under varying temperatures.
