A week of pre-season testing in Bahrain continues today as teams gear up for the 2026 F1 season and the complete overhaul of regulations that could herald a changing of the guard and a new era in the sport.
While lap times during testing should be taken with a pinch of salt, day one at the Bahrain International Circuit certainly didn’t suggest a shake-up, with reigning world champion Lando Norris posting the fastest lap in his McLaren and Max Verstappen only marginally behind. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed Red Bull had “set the benchmark” with Verstappen’s straight-line speed, while McLaren chief executive Zak Brown suggested the “big four” of his team, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari were still the big four at the front.
Meanwhile, Audi turned heads with their radical new sidepod design, much narrower and more vertical than the design showcased at the car launch, as storylines moved on from the private ‘shakedown’ event that took place in Barcelona at the end of January.
Aston Martin – who previously caused a stir when their Adrian Newey-designed car was revealed and featured a number of unorthodox elements – struggled on day one, with Lance Stroll only able to complete 36 laps, while Lewis Hamilton suggested the race engineer upheaval at Ferrari would be “detrimental” to his chances this season, which begins with the first race in Australia on 8 March.
Follow live updates from F1 testing with The Independent’s live blog below:
F1 PRE-SEASON TESTING - LATEST UPDATES
- F1 pre-season testing continues today in Bahrain
- Morning sessions run from 7am GMT to 11am GMT and afternoon sessions from 12pm GMT to 4pm GMT this week (Wed-Fri)
- Charles Leclerc fastest on day two; Norris 2nd; Bearman 3rd
- Mercedes struggle with power unit issues on Thursday
- Lewis Hamilton frustrated at race engineer upheaval at Ferrari
See you tomorrow
16:59 , Kieran JacksonThat’s it for our coverage today - join us tomorrow for the final day of this week’s pre-season test in Bahrain, where the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will re-enter the fray.
We’re back on at 7am GMT, see you then!
Lance Stroll on Adrian Newey and Aston Martin's season ambitions:
16:40 , Kieran Jackson"He's all about performance,” Stroll said of Newey. “He's just obsessed about how he can bring more performance to the car and he's a great leader overall."
"We are where we are. Do we want to fight for race wins? Yes. Are we fighting for race wins today? Doesn't look like it. Does that mean we can't fight for race wins in the future? No, I believe we can.
"I don't have a crystal ball. It doesn't look like it's amazing."
Day two leaderboard in full
16:20 , Kieran Jackson1. Charles Leclerc - 1:34:273 (139 laps)
2. Lando Norris +0.511 (149)
3. Ollie Bearman +1.121 (130)
4. George Russell +1.193 (54)
5. Isack Hadjar +2.288 (87)
6. Gabriel Bortoleto +2.397 (67)
7. Pierre Gasly +2.450 (97)
8. Valtteri Bottas +2.551 (67)
9. Alex Albon +2.956 (62)
10. Nico Hulkenberg +2.993 (47)
11. Arvid Lindblad+3.197 (83)
12. Carlos Sainz +3.319 (69)
13. Liam Lawson +3.744 (50)
14. Fernando Alonso +3.975 (98)
15. Sergio Perez +4.380 (42)
16. Kimi Antonelli - no time (3)
Charles Leclerc fastest on day two
16:01 , Kieran JacksonThat is a very good day of running for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque is fastest on day two, by half-a-second to McLaren’s Lando Norris, and has racked up 139 laps in the process.
Norris set 149 laps as well, with Ollie Bearman in third clocking in at 130 laps.
Mercedes, today, the team who have set the least amount of laps, with just 57 for Russell (54 laps) and Antonelli (3 laps), due to a power unit issue.
Ollie Bearman moves into third
15:51 , Kieran JacksonThe Haas driver, who is one of three drivers to rack up over 100 laps today, goes third on the leaderboard with a 1:35:394 - 1.1 seconds off Charles Leclerc’s time.
Final runs coming in now...
Aston Martin 'four seconds' off rivals
15:45 , Kieran JacksonAston Martin’s Lance Stroll has been speaking to the media in Bahrain and believes the team are “four seconds” off the pace-setters, after a patchy start to pre-season testing.
“We have a lot of work to do, catching up to do,” Stroll said. “We have probably 400 less laps than the competition with Barcelona and everything that we missed, so we just have to keep pushing.”
“Right now we look like we’re four seconds off the top team, four and a half seconds. So, again, impossible to know what fuel loads and everything people are running.
“But now we need to try and find four seconds of performance. I don’t think it falls from the sky.”
VIDEO: Jenson Button on Lewis Hamilton's 2026 chances
15:30 , Kieran JacksonJenson Button backs former McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton to be “back to his best” in the 2026 season 💪 pic.twitter.com/Qg4yErc8YZ
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 11, 2026
PICTURED: Audi's new sidepods
15:15 , Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris hits 100 laps
15:01 , Kieran JacksonStill no change at the top of the timesheets with an hour left, with Leclerc on top, but Lando Norris has now clocked over 100 laps for the day - on 105.
Haas’ Ollie Bearman is next-best on 104, with Pierre Gasly and Leclerc closing in on 95 and 94 respectively.
One hour left of running, as dusk turns to dark over the Bahrain International Circuit.
Williams boss James Vowles on Red Bull's pace:
14:40 , Kieran Jackson"We are seeing six tenths consistently. Into Turn 1, we can't get close to that. There speed into Turn 1 is mightily impressive.
"The Red Bull from scratch to be built on an entirely new programme, to deliver it, be reliable and deliver performance with it. They have achieved all of that."
Alonso and Alcaraz
14:25 , Kieran JacksonThe two Spanish sporting legends embrace in the Aston Martin garage in Bahrain...
Day two leaderboard with two hours left
14:10 , Kieran JacksonHere’s the full leaderboard, with less than two hours left and 16 different drivers on track so far today:
1. Charles Leclerc - 1:34:273
2. Lando Norris +0.511
3. George Russell +2.185
4. Pierre Gasly +2.450
5. Ollie Bearman +2.752
6. Alex Albon +2.956
7. Nico Hulkenberg +2.993
8. Gabriel Bortoleto +3.704
9. Liam Lawson +3.744
10. Sergio Perez +4.380
11. Isack Hadjar +4.615
12. Fernando Alonso +4.687
13. Carlos Sainz +5.133
14. Arvid Lindblad +6.413
15. Valtteri Bottas +6.840
Gasly stops on track
13:57 , Kieran JacksonSecond red flag of the afternoon - after Valtteri Bottas stopped on the start-finish straight earlier - with Gasly’s Alpine now coming to a halt on an escape road between the pit-exit and turn 1.
Unknown what the issue is at this point.
George Russell out on track
13:38 , Kieran JacksonFinally, the championship favourite emerges from the garage!
A quick start for Russell now he’s finally on track, with 11 laps posted and a time of 1:36:458 putting him third on the leaderboard, two seconds off Leclerc’s time this morning.
Who's quickest out of afternoon runners so far?
13:21 , Kieran JacksonSlowly building into the session are the following...
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) - 1:40:014 (24 laps)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - +0.162 (10 laps)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - +0.672 (17 laps)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) - +1.966 (4 laps)
Mercedes still not out on track
13:05 , Kieran JacksonKimi Antonelli only completed three laps this morning due to a power unit issue and George Russell is yet to emerge this afternoon. We’re hearing the Silver Arrows may have had to change the entire PU.
Antonelli’s media session has been delayed to tomorrow, as a result.
And suddenly, Mercedes don’t seem such dominant frontrunners after all...
Carlos Alcaraz in Bahrain
12:50 , Kieran JacksonThe world number one, who completed the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this month, is present at day two of testing as he makes his way to Qatar for his next tournament.
Alcaraz has been spotted in the McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams garage - and is pictured here with compatriot Carlos Sainz.
Carlos²
— Atlassian Williams F1 Team (@WilliamsF1) February 12, 2026
Formula 1 meets Tennis. Ace to have you with us in Bahrain, @carlosalcaraz 🎾👋 pic.twitter.com/TmfiIvprB3
Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘detrimental’ Ferrari plan – three weeks before 2026 F1 season
12:29 , Kieran JacksonLewis Hamilton admits plans to hire a new race engineer are “detrimental” to the start of his F1 season with just three weeks until the first race in Australia.
After a tumultuous first year at Ferrari, Hamilton opted to ditch race engineer Riccardo Adami last month, with the pair regularly clashing on team radio amid a 2025 campaign where the Briton, for the first time in his 19-year career, failed to register a podium.
It is understood that Hamilton is keen to hire Cedric Michel-Grosjean, formerly Oscar Piastri’s performance engineer at McLaren, yet the Frenchman must serve his notice period after leaving the team at the end of 2025.
Full story below:
Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘detrimental’ Ferrari plan – three weeks before 2026 F1 season
Toto Wolff: Red Bull are the 'benchmark'
12:15 , Kieran Jackson"They [Red Bull] are able to deploy far more energy on the straights than everybody else," Wolff said on Wednesday. "You are speaking a second, over consecutive laps.
"On a single lap we have seen it before, but now we have seen it on 10 consecutive laps with the same kind of straight-line deployment.
"I would say that as per today, on the first official day of testing, which is always with the caveat of that, they have set the benchmark."
Afternoon session underway
12:00 , Kieran JacksonWith the clock striking 3pm in Bahrain, we’re underway with the afternoon session on day two. Here’s who we’re expecting:
- McLaren: Lando Norris
- Mercedes: George Russell
- Red Bull: Isack Hadjar
- Ferrari: Charles Leclerc
- Williams: Carlos Sainz
- Racing Bulls: Arvid Lindblad
- Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso
- Haas: Oliver Bearman
- Audi: Gabriel Bortoleto
- Alpine: Pierre Gasly
- Cadillac: Valtteri Bottas
VIDEO: A fun cockpit cover from Williams!
11:52 , Kieran JacksonEye-catching creativity from @WilliamsF1 😍#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/YtNJkouJhn
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 11, 2026
Lando Norris leads lap count
11:35 , Kieran JacksonMore valuable data for the world champion, who set 64 laps this morning:
Norris - 64 laps
Leclerc - 62
Albon - 62
Gasly - 61
Bearman - 55
Alonso - 55
Lawson - 50
Hulkenberg - 47
Antonelli - 3
Hadjar - 1
Leclerc fastest this morning
11:22 , Kieran JacksonThe Ferrari driver’s table-topping time of a 1:24:273 is five-tenths quicker than Lando Norris in second, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in third.
4-11: Bearman, Albon, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Perez, Alonso, Antonelli, Hadjar
Hadjar, incidentally, did get out for one solitary lap this morning.
Norris goes quicker
10:39 , Kieran JacksonThe world champion sets a 1:34:784, now just half-a-second off Leclerc’s table-topping time.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso has done well to clock up a good amount of laps after his slow start - he’s on 42, with Norris and Albon leading the way jointly now on 62.
Norris with longest stint
10:32 , Kieran JacksonFrom the timesheets I can see, Lando Norris has done the longest stint this morning with 17 laps on the mediums.
Pierre Gasly continues to lead the way on lap count though, now on 39.
Lewis Hamilton on 'difficult' race engineer plan
10:20 , Kieran JacksonHamilton ditched his race engineer last month, but a full-time replacement will not be in place for the first race in Australia.
He said in Bahrain: "It's actually quite a difficult period because it's not long-term, the solution that we currently have, it's only going to be a few races.
"So, early on into the season, it's going to be switching up again, and I'll have to learn to work with someone new, so that's detrimental to a season where you want to arrive with people that have done multiple seasons, have been through thick and thin and are calm.
"But it is the situation that I'm faced with and I'll try to do the best that I can. The team is trying to do the best they can to make it as seamless as possible."
VIDEO: All 11 F1 teams on track in Bahrain
10:10 , Kieran JacksonA first look at all 11 teams on track 🤩#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/vcUhm8OvKM
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 11, 2026
Charles Leclerc fastest with one hour left
10:00 , Kieran JacksonLeclerc has gone quicker, by a tenth, with a fastest time of 1:34:442. Lando Norris is 1.3 seconds off in second.
3-8: Gasly, Albon, Bearman, Lawson, Alonso, Perez
One hour until the lunch break in Bahrain...
F1 world championship - odds:
09:50 , Kieran JacksonGeorge Russell is still the favourite, though Max Verstappen is a very close second-favourite, given his impressive stint yesterday.
- George Russell - 11/5
- Max Verstappen - 12/5
- Lando Norris - 6/1
- Kimi Antonelli - 9/1
- Oscar Piastri - 10/1
- Charles Leclerc - 11/1
- Fernando Alonso - 11/1
- Lewis Hamilton - 14/1
- Isack Hadjar - 50/1
- Pierre Gasly - 60/1
- Carlos Sainz - 60/1
- Alex Albon - 100/1
- Lance Stroll - 100/1
Antonelli could miss whole morning
09:40 , Kieran JacksonIt’s my understanding that Mercedes have a power unit issue with the W17 - and it’s touch and go whether Kimi Antonelli will leave the pit-lane this morning.
Despite the setback, Mercedes are set to stick with their run plan of Russell in the car this afternoon, despite Antonelli only driving 33 laps so far across two days.
VIDEO: Norris's table-topping time from day 1
09:30 , Kieran JacksonOur first onboard of 2026! 😍
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 11, 2026
Jump aboard Lando Norris' McLaren as he set the fastest time of day one 👀#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/DjP6D5fbuc
PHOTOS: Cars on track on day two
09:20 , Kieran Jackson
Day two leaderboard:
09:10 , Kieran Jackson1. Leclerc - 1:34:442
2. Norris +1.353
3. Gasly +2.281
4. Albon +2.787
5. Bearman +3.244
6. Alonso +4.993
7. Perez +5.969
8. Lawson +16.621
Hulkenberg (17 laps) and Antonelli (3 laps) have not set any competitive times yet.
Isack Hadjar yet to enter the fray
09:03 , Kieran JacksonRed Bull are working on fixing a problem with Hadjar’s car.
Bit of a surprise, given their prowess yesterday, but I suppose that’s what testing is all about!
We’re now at the midway point of the morning session - Charles Leclerc still fastest.
Red Bull lead speed trap times
08:52 , Kieran JacksonAmid all the talk of Red Bull’s speed advantage on the straights yesterday, this latest info on the maximum speed at the speed trap from day one is interesting!
Both Red Bull cars lead the way...
- Verstappen - 336.40 km/h
- Lindblad - 329.70
- Russell 327.60
- Antonelli - 327.10
- Leclerc - 326.80
- Norris - 326.50
- Hamilton - 325.80
- Ocon - 324.90
- Gasly - 316.20
- Sainz - 314.30
VIDEO: Ferrari out on track
08:38 , Kieran JacksonThe pure sound of cars being on track 🤩 pic.twitter.com/fDbiW4VaZd
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 12, 2026
Pierre Gasly leads the way on laps
08:33 , Kieran JacksonThe Alpine was among the first out on track and he’s set the most laps so far on 29, three ahead of Leclerc.
Full totals:
- Gasly - 29
- Leclerc - 26
- Bearman - 21
- Albon - 17
- Norris - 17
- Hulkenberg - 13
- Lawson - 11
- Alonso - 9
- Perez - 6
- Antonelli - 3
Charles Leclerc goes fastest
08:20 , Kieran JacksonA few more of the typical contenders now at the top of the timesheet, with Ferrari’s Leclerc quickest with a 1:34:442 - 1.353 seconds faster than McLaren’s Lando Norris in second.
Fernando Alonso is now out on track, incidentally, but still no sign of Isack Hadjar.
PHOTOS: Perez stops out on track
07:46 , Kieran Jackson
Red Bull yet to appear
07:37 , Kieran JacksonWith Isack Hadjar running all day for Red Bull, a delay for the Frenchman. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is also yet to appear from the pit-lane.
Early lap times after the first half-an-hour:
- Gasly - 1:39.625
- Bearman - +7.436
- Leclerc - +7.972
- Lawson - +11.438
A reminder of yesterday's lap times:
07:30 , Kieran Jackson1) Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:34.669, 58 laps
2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:34.798, 136 laps
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:35.959, 80 laps
4) Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1:35.578, 115 laps
5) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:35.602, 54 laps
6) George Russell (Mercedes) 1:36.108, 56 laps
7) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:36.433, 52 laps
8) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1:36.765 49 laps
9) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 1:36.861, 73 laps
10) Alex Albon (Williams) 1:37.437, 68 laps
11) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1:37.629 30 laps
12) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1:37.945, 75 laps
13) Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1:38.221, 77 laps
14) Sergio Perez (Cadillac) 1:38.828, 58 laps
15) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 1:38.871, 49 laps
16) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) 1:39.150, 49 laps
17) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:39.883, 36 laps
18) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1:40.330, 28 laps
RED FLAG
07:23 , Kieran JacksonFirst stoppage of the day is an early one.
Cadillac’s Sergio Perez has stopped on track - it’s unclear why - but his car has been removed from the racetrack and we are back underway.
Testing underway
07:09 , Kieran JacksonWe’re a go with the morning session in Bahrain! Here’s a reminder of the line-ups today:
- McLaren: Lando Norris (all day)
- Mercedes: Antonelli (morning) / Russell (afternoon)
- Red Bull: Isack Hadjar (all day)
- Ferrari: Charles Leclerc (all day)
- Williams: Albon (morning) / Sainz (afternoon)
- Racing Bulls: Lawson (morning) / Lindblad (afternoon)
- Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso (all day)
- Haas: Oliver Bearman (all day)
- Audi: Hülkenberg (morning) / Bortoleto (afternoon)
- Alpine: Pierre Gasly (all day)
- Cadillac: Pérez (morning) / Bottas (afternoon)
Testing about to get underway
06:55 , Luke BakerOk, we’re about five minutes away from testing getting underway on day two in Bahrain.
As a reminder, we’ll have a four-hour session from 7am GMT to 11am GMT before an hour’s break for lunch, then an afternoon session from 12pm GMT to 4pm GMT.
Let’s have at it!
Aston Martin suffering power unit issues
06:45 , Luke BakerA bad opening day for Aston Martin, who managed just 33 laps in the morning with Lance Stroll before adding just three more in the afternoon for a paltry total of 36 (by contrast, Williams did 145).
There was optimism around the team when they revealed their Adrian Newey-designed car, which looked different to a lot of the other teams, but they confirmed an issue with the Honda power unit the car uses.
“Our power unit test plan today with Lance went as planned in the morning, however, we detected a data anomaly this afternoon,” said Aston Martin on Wednesday.
“We are now proceeding with precautionary checks on the PU to understand the exact root cause before we can resume testing.”
Lewis Hamilton says race engineer upheaval 'detrimental' to his chances
06:35 , Luke BakerLewis Hamilton is cutting a slightly frustrated figure in Bahrain. He won’t have a new permanent race engineer ahead of the new season, which he has said will be “detrimental” to his chances.
In January, Ferrari confirmed his race engineer from last season’s struggle, Riccardo Adami, was being shifted to another role elsewhere in the organisation.
The team has yet to make any further official statements regarding a replacement but it is understood that Carlo Santi has been appointed on an interim basis, although Hamilton suggested there would be another switch soon.
Speaking in Bahrain, Hamilton said: “It’s actually quite a difficult period because it’s not long-term, the solution that we currently have, it’s only going to be a few races.
“So, early on into the season, it's going to be switching up again, and I’ll have to learn to work with someone new, so that’s detrimental to a season where you want to arrive with people that have done multiple seasons, have been through thick and thin and are calm.
“But it is the situation that I’m faced with and I’ll try to do the best that I can. The team is trying to do the best they can to make it as seamless as possible.”
Zak Brown: Big four are still the big four
06:25 , Luke BakerMcLaren chief executive Zak Brown was asked about the current pecking order in this era of new regulations and he believes that early signs suggest it could be same old, same old.
“I think we can’t come to any firm conclusions,” hedged Brown. “But if I had to go Vegas (to bet on it), it looks like the big four [McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari] are the big four, kind of hard to tell in what order.
“Mercedes were very strong in Spain. Max has done some great lap times around here. But it kind of looks like the grid is in a similar position.”
Lap counts by team
06:15 , Luke BakerSome teams laid down more impressive mileage than others on the opening day.
Here are the lap totals by team - a great shift by Williams but a disaster for Aston Martin, who battled a power unit issue.
- Williams - 145
- Red Bull - 136
- Ferrari - 132
- Audi - 122
- Haas - 115
- McLaren - 112
- Cadillac - 107
- Mercedes - 86
- Alpine - 77
- Racing Bulls - 75
- Aston Martin - 36
Toto Wolff: Red Bull are 'the benchmark'
06:05 , Luke BakerMercedes are considered to be the early title favourites but their boss Toto Wolff was incredibly impressed by Red Bull yesterday in Bahrain, calling them “the benchmark”.
“I was hoping they would be worse than they are,” Wolff said of Red Bull yesterday. “They have done a very good job.
“The car, the power unit, are the benchmark at the moment I would say. Then obviously you have Max in the car, the combination is strong.
“Look at their energy deployment. They are able to deploy far more energy on the straights than everybody else. We are speaking a second per lap, over consecutive laps.
“On a single lap, we've seen it before, but now we have seen it on 10 consecutive laps with the same kind of straight line deployment.
“I would say that as per today, on the first official day of testing, which is always the caveat of that, they’ve set the benchmark.”
Day one timesheet
05:59 , Luke BakerHere’s the final timesheet for day one. Lando Norris with the fastest time, just ahead of Max Verstappen.
Verstappen racked up the most laps (136) with Esteban Ocon the only other individual to clear 100. They were two of only four men to drive in both sessions however, so the combined Williams total of 145 between Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon was just as impressive
1) Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:34.669, 58 laps
2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:34.798, 136 laps
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:35.959, 80 laps
4) Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1:35.578, 115 laps
5) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:35.602, 54 laps
6) George Russell (Mercedes) 1:36.108, 56 laps
7) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:36.433, 52 laps
8) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1:36.765 49 laps
9) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 1:36.861, 73 laps
10) Alex Albon (Williams) 1:37.437, 68 laps
11) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1:37.629 30 laps
12) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1:37.945, 75 laps
13) Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1:38.221, 77 laps
14) Sergio Perez (Cadillac) 1:38.828, 58 laps
15) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 1:38.871, 49 laps
16) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) 1:39.150, 49 laps
17) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:39.883, 36 laps
18) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1:40.330, 28 laps
Welcome to day two of testing in Bahrain
05:58 , Luke BakerWelcome to The Independent’s coverage of day two of this week of F1 testing in Bahrain.
Day one saw Lando Norris lead the way in terms of lap times, with Max Verstappen not far behind.
But really, it’s all about number of laps and every team will have learned valuable information about their car. Stick with us for day two action!
