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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Kieran Jackson

Could Max Verstappen really quit F1? What we learned from second 2026 test in Bahrain

Two tests down ahead of the new Formula One season, a single three-day window remains. And one thing is for certain: it’s not the usual case of uneventful on-track stints and dour media sessions from pre-season testing at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.

Three weeks out from the season-opening race in Australia, there is plenty to digest. Not just the new rules and regulations – requirements which are overly complex according to Lewis Hamilton, entering his 20th season in F1 – but chit-chat about illegal engines and star driver unrest as well.

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