14:34
Isack Hadjar with another improvement that sees him move into sixth and behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. The Frenchman is still more than two seconds off the outright pace.
Kimi Antonelli
LIVE
F1 Bahrain Testing LIVE: Mercedes 1-2 after sandbagging claims
Live updates from the third day of the opening F1 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain.
KEY MOMENTS:
- Kimi Antonelli leads Mercedes 1-2
- Cooling issue sees Cadillac break down again
- Red Bull's Max Verstappen tears into F1 2026 cars, calling them "Formula E on steroids"
- Lando Norris tells Verstappen he "can retire" if he wants in defence of new cars
Preparations for the new F1 campaign are ramping up as official pre-season testing continues in Bahrain.
After a five-day private shakedown in Barcelona at the end of January, all 11 teams are 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.
13 Feb 2026
14:28
Incidentally, I checked with Mercedes earlier as to why Kimi Antonelli had taken so long to come out this afternoon, following the reliability issues they encountered on day two.
"We love to tease!" came the light-hearted response from a Mercedes spokesperson. Is that what the team are doing currently with this 1-2 at the top of the timesheet?
14:23
Mercedes showing their hand?
Looks like we are finally starting to see some performance running from Mercedes.
Kimi Antonelli's lap puts him 0.249s clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell, and over half a second ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton heading towards the final 90 minutes of track action on the last day of the opening Bahrain test.
Kimi Antonelli
14:18
Antonelli improves
Antonelli has gone even quicker, posting a 1m33.669s!
14:09
Verstappen accused Mercedes of extreme sandbagging earlier.
Mercedes is now 1-2 on the timesheets. Make of that what you will.
14:08
New fastest lap
Kimi Antonelli takes the Mercedes to top spot with a 1m33.900s, pipping team-mate Russell by 0.018s.
13:53
Antonelli has made a significant gain to third with a 1m34.491s. He's out there on soft tyres.
13:43
Hadjar, on a fresh set of soft tyres, makes a small improvement to sixth in the Red Bull on a 1m35.976s.
13:41
After Williams' dramas ahead of the Barcelona shakedown, it's very good to see the team on track here in Bahrain.
Albono on driving duties this afternoon 🫡 pic.twitter.com/BU4uMZE7Nr
— Atlassian Williams F1 Team (@WilliamsF1) February 13, 2026
13:35
Antonelli moves right up to 11th with a 1m37.618s first lap.
13:32
Antonelli joins the action
Kimi Antonelli is heading out now in the Mercedes.
The team says there were no issues. Big lunch, maybe...
13:31
And as we hit publish on that post, Hamilton now rejoins the action in the Ferrari.
13:30
Two hours and 30 minutes left in today's running. No changes at the top of the order.
Just Piastri, Lawson, Colapinto, Ocon and Albon on track right now.
13:19
Still no Kimi Antonelli yet. Disappointing start to the afternoon session, given how well the Mercedes has been running today to this point.
13:14
Liam Lawson has also had a spin this afternoon. He's back in the pits. Currently, he's on 106 laps for the day.
13:10
Thought we were about to have another red flag, as the timing screen registered Colapinto as stopped. But he seems to have gotten his Alpine going again.
13:04
Lap times an hour after lunch
| 2026 F1 Bahrain Pre-Season Test 1: Day 3 (1pm) | |||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m33.918s | 78 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m34.209s | 78 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m35.341s | 61 |
| 4 | Ollie Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m35.972s | 70 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 1m36.234s | 81 |
| 6 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m36.808s | 103 |
| 7 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m36.874s | 81 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m37.186s | 68 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m37.536s | 60 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m37.813s | 8 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m38.423s | 62 |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team | 1m38.772s | 37 |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m39.106s | 11 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m39.824s | 11 |
| 15 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m41.462s | 4 |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team | No time set | 5 |
12:48
Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez and Alex Albon have also made appearances, leaving Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli as the only driver yet to emerge following the lunch break.
12:32
Verstappen throws sandbagging accusation at Mercedes
Max Verstappen, who has just signed off from his F1 testing duties for week one, has accused Mercedes of some pretty extreme sandbagging amid an ongoing engine row.
“I can tell you one thing: just wait until Melbourne and see how much power they suddenly find. I already know that right now," the four-time world champion teased.
“They are obviously trying to shift the focus to us because we did so many laps on Wednesday. But you have to look at it from both sides. Just wait until Melbourne and see how fast they suddenly go on all the straights.”
Read the full story ⬇️
VERSTAPPEN ACCUSES MERCEDES OF EXTREME SANDBAGGING
Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli
12:27
Isack Hadjar now has a lap time on the board. It's a sluggish 1m47.143s, which puts him 12th and slowest.
12:13
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar has joined the two-car party out on track.
12:07
Franco Colapinto, one of five drivers completing a full day of running, is the first to emerge in his Alpine following the lunch break.
12:00
Green flag
The track is live for the afternoon session on the third and final day of the opening week of Bahrain testing.
11:44
Who is driving this afternoon?
There will be a six driver swaps during the lunch break. Here's who will be in the car on Friday afternoon:
McLaren: Oscar Piastri
Mercedes: Kimi Antonelli
Red Bull: Isack Hadjar
Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton
Williams: Alex Albon
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso
Haas: Esteban Ocon
Audi: Nico Hulkenberg
Alpine: Franco Colapinto
Cadillac: Sergio Perez
11:32
Opinion: Formula E's response to Verstappen comments are not good enough
Twice during the Formula 1 pre-season have drivers compared the 2026 cars to Formula E in a disparaging tone towards the all-electric series. While there is no problem with drivers expressing themselves, Formula E’s lack of response shows a lack of backbone that continues to plague its perception as a legitimate championship in the wider motorsport world…
Opinion ✍️
Formula E driver’s childish Max Verstappen response shows its backbone problem
Formula E season 12
© Formula E