09:45
Kimi Antonelli just had a huge lock up at Turn 1. The Mercedes driver runs deep into the run-off and might require a new set of boots, with visible flat-spots on his tyres.
George Russell
Day 1 of second F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season testing as it happened
Recap the first day of the second F1 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain.
KEY MOMENTS:
- George Russell sets new fastest time of pre-season testing
- Ferrari issue leaves Lewis Hamilton stuck in garage
- Lance Stroll causes red flag with spin in Aston Martin
- Red Bull and Aston Martin hit trouble and lose track time
George Russell produced the fastest time of the day - and pre-season testing so far - with a 1m33.459s as Mercedes led the way, while its rivals hit trouble.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was second-fastest, just 0.010s behind Russell, with Charles Leclerc third in the Ferrari.
Red Bull, Aston Martin and Ferrari all had spells consigned to their respective garages due to problems throughout the first day of the second Bahrain test.
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 before the 2026 F1 campaign gets underway.
The second and final three-day test is on 18-20 February. Testing takes place between 7am and 4pm with a one-hour lunch break each day.
18 Feb 2026
09:48
Water system issue for Red Bull
Isack Hadjar has not been out for an hour and a half and now we know why.
It's a water system issue that has severely curtailed Red Bull's running and kept Hadjar, who has completed just 13 laps, sidelined in the back of the garage.
Isack Hadjar
09:23
Apparent engine issue for Aston Martin
Sky Sports F1's Bernie Collins reports Aston Martin has suffered an issue with its Honda engine.
"The screens have been pulled across at Aston Martin," Collins said.
"I think what’s happened is, they had what we call a borescope out at the back of the engine – that’s the Honda engineers using a little camera to look inside the engine and see what’s going on there.
"And I think they’ve found something quite detrimental, and that sounds like that could stop the car for quite a while if they’ve found an issue internally in the engine.
"I think that will curtail their running significantly."
We have asked Aston Martin for clarification.
09:04
What's going on at Red Bull?
Isack Hadjar has not been out on track for a while and has completed the second fewest laps of the morning session with just 13 to his name.
Red Bull has put up a human wall at the front of its garage as the team changes something towards the rear-end of Hadjar's RB22.
09:00
Lap times after two hours
| 2026 F1 Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2: Day 1 (9am) | |||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m33.739s | 28 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 1m34.052a | 26 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m34.251s | 27 |
| 4 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m35.690s | 25 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m35.898s | 24 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m36.188s | 13 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m36.418s | 37 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m36.536s | 28 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m36.741s | 27 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m36.769s | 35 |
| 11 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team | No time set | 2 |
08:52
Big moment for Nico Hulkenberg coming out of Turn 4 as he has a very late and violent snap and has to gather up his wobbling Audi.
08:45
More on those crucial meetings
I mentioned earlier about those two crunch meetings that are set to be held today that could shape the upcoming 2026 F1 season.
You can now read the full details in the story below ⬇️
THE CRUCIAL F1 MEETINGS TODAY WHICH COULD SHAPE 2026
The Mercedes garage during pre-season testing in Bahrain
© XPB Images
08:41
Lando Norris moves up to second place, shuffling Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli down to P3 in the process, as the reigning world champion posts a 1m34.052s in his McLaren.
Norris's time leaves him 0.313s behind Charles Leclerc.
08:32
Alex Albon is another driver on the move with the Williams driver jumping up to fourth spot on a 1m35.690s, which leaves him nearly two full seconds off the pace.
08:27
Kimi Antonelli improves by a couple of tenths as he closes to within 0.512s of current pacesetter Charles Leclerc. The Mercedes driver remains second in the timesheet.
08:25
Sergio Perez has finally appeared in his Cadillac. All 11 teams have now been out on track this morning.
08:22
Nico Hulkenberg lifts his Audi up to seventh after improving on a 1m36.741s.
08:16
Perez ready to go
Having missed the first hour or so of running, Sergio Perez is suited and booted and sat inside the cockpit of his Cadillac, ready to finally join the action.
Sergio Perez
08:02
Lap times after one hour
| 2026 F1 Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2: Day 1 (8am) | |||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m33.739s | 16 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m34.473s | 11 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 1m34.766s | 16 |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m36.188s | 7 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m36.249s | 12 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m36.536s | 14 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m37.243s | 13 |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m37.533s | 18 |
| 9 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m37.957s | 13 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m39.668s | 10 |
07:53
Leclerc sets pace
Charles Leclerc goes top with a 1m33.739s in his Ferrari. That is the new fastest time of pre-season testing, and the first sub 1m34 lap, as Leclerc pulls 0.734s clear of Kimi Antonelli.
07:48
Isack Hadjar moves up to third in his Red Bull on a 1m36.188s. That's 1.715s slower than current pacesetter Kimi Antonelli.
07:43
Briefly it looked as though Arvid Lindblad had a potential issue in his Racing Bulls as he was seen crawling along the straight on the run to Turn 4, before he suddenly got back up to speed.
So no problem after all, it seems.
07:33
New fastest time of testing!
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli has now bettered the benchmark time (1m34.669s) he set in the opening Bahrain test. The 19-year-old Italian produces a 1m34.473s in his W17.
07:28
Norris quickest
Lando Norris goes fastest by 1.6s with a 1m34.766s, which is just a tenth shy of the quickest time we have seen so far in pre-season testing.
07:27
Charles Leclerc posts a 1m36.735s to close to within three tenths of Pierre Gasly, who just suffered a big lock up down at Turn 1.
07:23
Pierre Gasly has just improved his current benchmark by just under a tenth to a 1m36.376s.
07:18
Gasly fastest
Pierre Gasly goes fastest for Alpine with a 1m36.470s. That puts the Frenchman 1.5s clear of McLaren's Lando Norris.
07:17
There's a big aerodynamic rake on Isack Hadjar's Red Bull.
Isack Hadjar
07:16
Perez not yet appeared
The only driver yet to head out on track so far in the morning session is Sergio Perez, who is sat in the back of the Cadillac garage as his team work on his car.
07:13
Big lock up from Arvid Lindblad at the end of the main straight, resulting in the Racing Bulls driver going straight on at Turn 1.