08:22
"How big do you want the aero rake? Yes"
Red Bull aero rake
Lance Stroll in the AMR26
LIVE
F1 2026 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing: Day 1 - LIVE UPDATES
Live updates from the first day of the opening F1 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain…
F1 2026 preparations are ramping up as official pre-season testing begins in Bahrain.
After a five-day private shakedown in Barcelona at the end of January, all 11 teams will be back in action as the Bahrain International Circuit hosts two, three-day official pre-season tests over the next two weeks.
The first of which takes place between 11-13 February, before a second is held on 18-20 February.
Testing takes place between 7am and 4pm with a one-hour lunch break each day.
11 Feb 2026
08:15
Lindblad back on top
Arvid Lindblad posts a 1m37.945s to knock Oscar Piastri off top spot by just 0.021s.
08:08
Verstappen up to P2
Max Verstappen has also improved, lifting himself up to second with a lap time that is just 0.175s behind Oscar Piastri. Both are running the medium tyres.
08:04
Piastri sets new benchmark
Naturally, just after we post the lap times after one hour of running, something changes!
Oscar Piastri has taken over at the top of the timesheet with his first timed lap of the day in McLaren's MCL40. With his second lap, he goes even quicker, lowering the pace with a 1m37.964s.
08:02
Lap times after one hour
| 2026 F1 Bahrain Pre-Season Test 1: Day 1 (8am) | |||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m39.419s | 9 |
| 2 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m39.480s | 20 |
| 3 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m39.634s | 10 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team | 1m40.378s | 9 |
| 5 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m42.384s | 4 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m42.823s | 8 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m46.506s | 6 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m49.314s | 10 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team | No time set | 10 |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | No time set | 9 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | No time set | 5 |
07:58
Hamilton first out for Ferrari
Our Bahrain pre-season test is underway! 👊 pic.twitter.com/YUkjGRD5Kq
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 11, 2026
07:55
Nearly one hour in
And just like that, we have nearly completed the first hour of running on day one!
07:49
Colapinto joins the action
Franco Colapinto has emerged from the garage and taken to the track for the first time today. Seems like a little bit of a delayed start for Alpine.
07:44
Russell quickest
George Russell, many people's favourite for the 2026 F1 world title, has just gone fastest with a 1m39.419s in his Mercedes.
For what it's worth, we are still 10 seconds off last year's pole position time at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was a 1m29.841s from McLaren's Oscar Piastri...
07:42
Big lock up for Bottas
Bottas
07:36
Lindblad on top
Arvid Lindblad now posts a 1m39.480s to takeover at the top by 0.154s.
07:33
Lindblad up to second
Arvid Lindblad has strapped on a set of soft tyres and gone second fastest.
The Racing Bulls gets within half a second of Esteban Ocon, who also used soft tyres to set his current benchmark time for Haas.
07:27
Williams joins testing
After missing the entire Barcelona shakedown due to failing to get their car ready in time, the FW48 has finally joined F1 pre-season testing with Carlos Sainz at the wheel.
Williams did complete two filming days in the past week, but this is the first time we have seen the Grove squad take part in a collective test.
Sainz
07:21
Ocon fastest for Haas
Esteban Ocon has just shot to the top of the timesheets with a 1m39.634s in his Haas.
Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas slots into P2, with George Russell's Mercedes third.
Lewis Hamilton is among the seven drivers so far to have posted lap times.
07:12
Verstappen lowers the pace
Max Verstappen almost immediately improves to a 1m44.012s but the times are very slow at this early stage of the first day, as you would expect.
F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad has also got his name on the timesheet with a 1m50.902s in his Racing Bulls.
Eight drivers have gone out so far, with Carlos Sainz the only driver currently out on track in his Williams.
07:07
F1 drivers arrive
So good to see some familiar faces ☺️#F1#F1Testingpic.twitter.com/EAg8WhjLyN
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 11, 2026
07:05
Verstappen with the first time
Several cars immediately headed out on track and it is Red Bull's Max Verstappen who is the first to pop in a lap time.
It's a rather sedate 1m48.950s from the four-time world champion.
07:00
Green flag!
We have a green light at the end of the pitlane and day one is underway in Bahrain!
06:58
Limited TV coverage
You might be wondering where you can watch the action from Bahrain. Well, for the opening test, you can't!
Not properly at least. While it is not as secret as the Barcelona shakedown at the end of January, F1 has only allowed limited TV coverage, with only the final hour of running being broadcast on Sky Sports F1 in the UK between 3-4pm each day.
Don't worry though, we will make sure you don't miss any of the action here.
Next week's second three-day test will have full TV coverage as is usually the case with pre-season testing.
06:53
Who is driving on Day 1?
18 of the 22 drivers are in action on day one. They are:
McLaren
Piastri (AM), Norris (PM)
Mercedes
Russell (AM), Antonelli (PM)
Red Bull
Verstappen
Ferrari
Hamilton (AM), Leclerc (PM)
Williams
Sainz (AM), Albon (PM)
Racing Bulls
Lindblad
Aston Martin
Stroll
Haas
Ocon
Audi
Bortoleto (AM), Hulkenberg (PM)
Alpine
Colapinto (AM), Gasly (PM)
Cadillac
Bottas (AM), Perez (PM)
Lewis Hamilton
06:48
F1 2026 starts here!
Good morning and welcome to Crash.net's live coverage of the opening F1 2026 pre-season test from Bahrain.
We have three days of action coming up for you this week as the 11 F1 teams ramp up their preparations for the upcoming campaign at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Every team will be running a single car during the eight hours of running each day, which begins at 0700 UK time and ends at 1600.
We will be keeping you up to date with everything that happens in Bahrain.