10:56
We are now into the final 10 minutes of the session and five drivers are out on track. They are Ollie Bearman, Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas.
Kimi Antonelli
Day 3 of first F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season test as it happened
Live updates from the third day of the opening F1 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain.
KEY MOMENTS:
- Kimi Antonelli leads Mercedes 1-2
- Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari breaks down in final hour
- Cadillac cause red flag for second day running
- Red Bull's Max Verstappen tears into F1 2026 cars, calling them "Formula E on steroids"
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
10:46
Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto is the latest driver to improve their time. It's a significant personal improvement on soft tyres, but the Brazilian stays ninth, three and a half seconds off the pace.
10:44
Everyone is out on track bar George Russell and Carlos Sainz with 20 minutes left of the morning session.
10:38
Oscar Piastri shuffles up to fifth in the timesheet with his latest lap - a 1m36.390s - which leaves the McLaren driver 2.472s off the pace set by Mercedes' George Russell.
10:34
Worrying times for Aston Martin?
Fernando Alonso reportedly threw his gloves in anger after completing his first laps in Aston Martin’s 2026 F1 car yesterday.
According to Spanish F1 journalist Antonio Lobato, Alonso was furious when he got out the AMR26.
“He gets out of the car, throws away the gloves; they’re not where they wanted to be, not even close," Lobato observed.
Read the full story ⬇️
REVEALED: FERNANDO ALONSO'S ALLEGED FURY AT ASTON MARTIN
Fernando Alonso
10:25
On the subject of lappery, it is George Russell who has racked up the most mileage of any driver so far today with 77 laps in his Mercedes W17. That's well over a race distance, with the Bahrain GP only 57 laps long.
It is not a surprise to see Mercedes keeping busy as they look to make up for lost time on the second morning. The German manufacturer had to carry out a complete power unit change after encountering engine gremlins that limited Kimi Antonelli to just three laps.
10:22
50 not out for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has racked up a half-century of laps so far this morning in his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has a full day behind the wheel of the SF-26 today.
Hamilton
10:07
Bottas is back out lapping in his Cadillac and he's just improved his time. It's a 1m38.772s from the Finn, who stays 11th.
10:01
Lap times after three hours
| 2026 F1 Bahrain Pre-Season Test 1: Day 3 (10am) | |||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m33.918s | 62 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m34.209s | 47 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m35.341s | 41 |
| 4 | Ollie Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m35.972s | 34 |
| 5 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m36.874s | 45 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 1m36.899s | 46 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m37.186s | 54 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m37.238s | 59 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m38.251s | 43 |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m38.423s | 37 |
| 11 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team | 1m40.281s | 11 |
09:51
Still just install laps for Bottas right now. Suggests Cadillac is still having a few teething issues.
09:48
The answer to that is... no.
09:47
And he's back out again. Will we get a sustained run this time?
09:45
And back in again...
09:43
Bottas is back out again.
09:31
And he's back in the pits. So, just an install lap for Bottas for now.
09:30
Typically, as I say that, a wild Bottas has appeared! Good job by Cadillac to get whatever the issue was fixed and the car back out with 90 minutes left in this session.
09:26
No sign of Bottas yet since his stoppage earlier on. Just the eight laps for Cadillac at this stage.
09:12
Lap count:
We've already had two hours of running and it is Carlos Sainz leading the way in the mileage charts, lapping the Bahrain International Circuit over 40 times already in his Williams.
At the other end of the table, it's Valtteri Bottas, who managed just eight laps before his Cadillac conked out. We have not seen the Finn back in action since.
Williams - 44 laps
Racing Bulls - 41 laps
Mercedes - 35 laps
Alpine - 34 laps
Red Bull - 31 laps
Ferrari - 31 laps
McLaren - 27 laps
Audi - 26 laps
Aston Martin - 24 laps
Haas - 21 laps
Cadillac - 8 laps
09:07
Alpine have 'fixed' previous car issues
Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen says the team have managed to fix some of the problems they had with their 2025 F1 car, which was the slowest in the field at times last year.
“We know we have made a car that’s much better than last year," he told Sky Sports F1. "Some of the problems we had last year have been fixed with this car, which is great, and the drivers are enjoying that side of it.
“Everyone is on a voyage of discovery with these regulations. It’s hugely different for the drivers and teams. We are all learning.
“I’m confident we have made a much better car, the trouble is 10 others have also made a much better car. Where we stack up, I don’t know.”
Colapinto
09:01
Lap times after two hours
| 2026 F1 Bahrain Pre-Season Test 1: Day 3 (9am) | |||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m33.918s | 28 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m34.209s | 30 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m35.341s | 26 |
| 4 | Ollie Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m35.986s | 19 |
| 5 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m36.874s | 28 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 1m36.976s | 25 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m37.186s | 40 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m37.238s | 37 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m38.251s | 26 |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m38.697s | 24 |
| 11 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team | 1m40.281s | 8 |
08:55
Hadjar says four teams will be fighting for wins
Isack Hadjar, who will be back behind the wheel of the Red Bull this afternoon, has been speaking to Sky Sports about the first test.
According to the Frenchman, the so-called 'big four' teams - McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari - will all be fighting it out for wins in 2026.
"It's similar to the last couple of years in terms of ranking teams. It's still the big four teams fighting for wins I would say," he said.
08:48
Here is the moment Valtteri Bottas ground to a halt in his Cadillac a little earlier on.
Bottas
08:38
Lance Stroll heads out again in the Aston Martin. He's put in 15 laps so far in a car he wasn't very complimentary of yesterday, noting that the team was around four seconds off the pace.
Let's see if it can make any gains today.
08:31
As I say that, though, Verstappen is back in the pits.
Only Colapinto, Piastri and Lawson on track right now.
08:29
Max Verstappen may not like driving these new cars much, but he's sure getting the work in this morning. He's up to 26 laps.