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The sun beat down on the Bahrain International Circuit as the second and final pre-season test for the 2026 Formula 1 season got underway, marking a pivotal moment in the sport's history. With a completely new set of regulations governing chassis, power units, and aerodynamics, the paddock was a hive of nervous energy and technical intrigue. This isn't just another evolution; it is a revolution. The cars are smaller, lighter, and feature the much-discussed "Active Aero" systems that have replaced the traditional DRS. As the teams rolled out of the garages in Sakhir, the focus was split between raw performance and the desperate need for reliability data. By the time the floodlights took over from the desert sun, it was George Russell and Mercedes who sat atop the timing sheets, but the narrative of the day was far more complex than a single lap time.
After a somewhat fragmented first test last week, Mercedes appeared to have ironed out the "gremlins" that hampered Kimi Antonelli’s running. George Russell took over the W17 in the afternoon session and immediately looked comfortable, eventually clocking a 1:33.459. While testing times are notoriously difficult to read due to varying fuel loads and engine modes, the body language of the Mercedes looked stable through the technical middle sector. Russell completed 76 laps in the afternoon alone, contributing to a field-leading total of 146 laps for the Silver Arrows when combined with Antonelli’s morning work.
The battle at the top was incredibly tight, with Oscar Piastri finishing just 0.010s behind Russell. The McLaren driver, who narrowly missed out on the title last year to teammate Lando Norris, looked like a man on a mission. Piastri’s afternoon was characterized by methodical race simulations and a late-session "glory run" on the C3 compound that briefly put him P1. McLaren’s reliability remains a standout feature of their 2026 campaign so far, with both Norris and Piastri completing high-mileage programs without significant interruption.
Charles Leclerc set the pace in the morning session, posting a 1:33.739 that remained the benchmark until the cooler evening conditions allowed the Mercedes and McLaren to go faster. Ferrari’s focus appeared to be on a "race one" upgrade package, which included a curious new winglet sitting just behind the exhaust, designed to improve rear-end stability. Leclerc was productive, racking up 70 laps before handing the car over to Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton’s debut testing phase with the Scuderia continued to draw the eyes of the world. Despite a "small issue" that kept him in the garage for a portion of the afternoon, the seven-time champion was upbeat about the new generation of machinery. “So many elements [are] under our control, so it’s just different and I find it fun. The cars are more fun to drive, easier to correct so you can have snaps and keep it on track,” Hamilton remarked. His feedback suggests that the 2026 cars, which are more nimble and susceptible to "snaps" of oversteer, might play directly into his hands. Hamilton eventually finished the day P7, focusing heavily on aero-mapping with extensive use of flow-vis paint.
While the "big three" of Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari looked robust, the reigning constructors' champions, Red Bull Racing, had a more difficult opening day. Isack Hadjar was given the keys to the RB22 for the entire day—the only driver to do so—but his progress was stunted by a suspected water leak or cooling issue in the morning. Hadjar was restricted to just 13 laps in the first four hours, a frustrating setback for a driver looking to prove he can fill the shoes of Max Verstappen in the long term.
Red Bull eventually recovered to get Hadjar back out in the afternoon, where he climbed to P6 with a 1:34.260. However, a total of 67 laps is significantly lower than their rivals, leaving the Milton Keynes squad with plenty of homework to do. With Verstappen watching from the garage, the pressure is on the engineering team to ensure the RB22’s cooling architecture is sufficient for the harsh Bahraini heat before the season opener in Australia.
It was a day of mixed fortunes for the rest of the grid. Cadillac, F1’s newest entry, faced a steep learning curve. Sergio Perez was sidelined for nearly an hour and a half this morning due to sensor issues, managing only 24 laps. Valtteri Bottas took over in the evening, but the team finished the day with only 59 laps total—the second-lowest of any outfit. For a new team with no historical data to lean on, every lost lap in Sakhir is a significant blow to their development curve.
Aston Martin also found themselves on the back foot. Fernando Alonso’s morning was hampered by a power unit issue, limiting him to 28 laps. Things didn't improve much when Lance Stroll took over; the Canadian caused the only driver-induced red flag of the day when he beached his car in the gravel at Turn 11. Stroll appeared to lose the rear on the entry to the corner, sliding sideways across the run-off area. While the damage was minimal, the lost time was costly for a team that completed the fewest laps of anyone last week.
Audi, meanwhile, enjoyed a relatively quiet but productive day. Gabriel Bortoleto continued his impressive transition into a full-time seat, completing 72 laps and finishing P10. The Brazilian rookie looks increasingly at home alongside the experienced Nico Hulkenberg, focusing on long-run consistency rather than headline times.
The 2026 regulations have introduced "Active Aero," a concept that has fundamentally changed how drivers approach the straights. Instead of the DRS flap opening, both the front and rear wings now adjust their profiles to reduce drag. Throughout the day, teams were seen running massive aero rakes—scaffolding-like structures covered in Pitot tubes—to measure how the air recovers when the wings transition between high and low-drag modes.
Race Control also took the opportunity to test new procedures. In the final ten minutes of the evening session, a series of tests were conducted, including a VSC, a red flag, and a new standing start sequence. The new procedure involves grid panels flashing blue for five seconds before the five red lights begin to illuminate, giving drivers more time to prepare their complex hybrid systems for the launch. We saw an extra formation lap and a practice start that featured Oscar Piastri leading a mock grid including Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz.
Arvid Lindblad, the youngest driver on the grid and the only true rookie this season, was perhaps the busiest man in Bahrain. Driving for Racing Bulls, Lindblad clocked a staggering 76 laps in the morning session alone. While he had a few "squirrely" moments and a notable lock-up that flat-spotted a set of mediums, his ability to churn out mileage is exactly what the team needs.
“There are some little issues we need to solve as always, but we were very content... it is a complete blank sheet from front to back,” noted Williams Technical Director Matt Harmann. This sentiment is shared across the paddock; for rookies like Lindblad and Bortoleto, the "blank sheet" nature of 2026 is a blessing, as the veterans are also having to unlearn a decade of hybrid-era habits.
As the teams pack up for the night, the pecking order remains a tantalizing mystery. Mercedes has the speed, Ferrari has the consistency, and McLaren has the momentum. Red Bull, usually the benchmark, finds itself in the unusual position of needing to chase mileage.
The track temperature reached a high of 40°C today, but the most representative running occurred under the lights when the mercury dropped to 26°C. Expect tomorrow’s afternoon session to be even more intense as teams begin to move away from aero-mapping and toward low-fuel qualifying simulations. With only two days of testing remaining before the circus heads to Melbourne, the margin for error has never been thinner.
The 2026 era has officially arrived, and if Day 1 in Bahrain is any indication, the battle for supremacy is going to be a game of technical chess played at 200 miles per hour. Stay tuned as we return tomorrow at 06:45 UTC for more live coverage from the desert.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.