F1 Bahrain pre-season test: Leclerc leads day two
- Kavi Khandelwal
- 51 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Written by Kavi Khandelwal, Edited Marit Everett
The conclusion of the second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit offered the most comprehensive look yet at the new technical regulations of the 2026 era.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the pace, ending the day on top with a 1:34.158, followed by McLaren's Lando Norris (+0.511 from leader) and a standout performance from Haas' Oliver Bearman (+1.121 from leader).
While Leclerc also topped the morning session ahead of Norris and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine, the timesheets only told half the story on a day defined by unlearning the working of the past regulations cars.
Between yesterday and today, the most consistent teams have remained to be McLaren and Ferrari. Perhaps a title fight between these two top teams is on the horizon for the 2026 season.
On-track action
The 2026 regulations have introduced a car that demands a fundamental shift in driving style. With a significant reduction in downforce, similar to that of Monza, drivers spent much of the day wrestling with a lack of rear-end grip.
This low-grip sensation led to constant sliding, forcing the grid to find new solutions for corners that were previously handled with ease.
Turn 10 remained the focal point of the drama. We saw heavy lock-ups from George Russell in the Mercedes during the second half, and Norris almost colliding with the rear of Russell's car during a particularly tense moment in the braking zone.
Rookie Arvid Lindblad also fell victim to the corner, sliding off as he struggled to find the limit of the new aero package. Russell's lock-up was one of many, proving that even the most experienced on the grid are still calibrating their muscle memory to the new braking thresholds.
Technical focus: Active aero and tyres
The active aerodynamics were in full force throughout both sessions. Watching the rear wings flatten out on the straights is not that dissimilar to the Drag Reduction System, but watching the front wings do the same is a new spectacle altogether.
The cars appear remarkably sleek as they power down the straights, an intentional design choice to reduce drag and increase straight-line speed to enable closer racing.
However, the reduction in downforce into the corners has resulted in significant sliding as mentioned above. Most drivers opted to do their primary mileage on the soft compounds today, though several dedicated blocks of running to the C3 and C2 sets to understand how the lower downforce affects the degradation of the harder rubber.
Whether these new regulations will suit a particular driving style over another has yet to be seen. Norris' view after getting his first real taste of the car's behaviour following the initial shakedown in Barcelona had been: "It's a bit more of a challenge in many places, which is a good thing."
The reliability barrier
The day was punctuated by three separate red flags, reminding the paddock that the 2026 power units and components are still extremely new.
The first came early in the morning session when Sergio Pérez brought his Cadillac to a halt close to the barriers, signalling a reliability issue for the new team on the grid.
The second interruption was more routine, caused by debris on the circuit that required a brief cleanup.
Finally, a third red flag was trigged by Gasly, who stopped his A526 at Turn 1 for reasons unknown.
Team reports
The session schedule splits track time across the morning and afternoon runs, with some teams rotating drivers and others committing to one all day.
McLaren keeps Norris in both slots. Ferrari, Red Bull, Aston Martin, Haas and Alpine do the same with their lead names. Mercedes, Williams, Racing Bulls, Audi and Cadillac chose to divide duties between experience and youth.
McLaren
In the second day of testing, the Woking-based team continued to look like a front-runner. Reigning World Champion, Norris, completed the highest individual mileage of the day with 149 laps. His session was ran almost interrupted until he was forced to stop at the pit exit towards the end of the morning session due to the red flag, but the team recovered quickly.
For the third and final day of the testing, his teammate, Oscar Piastri will run the in both sessions.
Mercedes
The Silver Arrows faced a disjointed day as Kimi Antonelli lost a significant time in the morning session due to a power unit problem. The lack of laps meant the team missed out on crucial long-run data. However, Russell made up for it in the second half as he completed 54 laps.
Antonelli, watching the rivals during the afternoon session, noted that "Red Bull looks strong" and "McLaren, like last year, seems to have a very strong front."
Red Bull
It was a day of frustration for Isack Hadjar who missed the entirety of the morning session due to a hydraulic issue. While the car looked strong yesterday in the hands of Max Verstappen, the loss of a half-day's data is a setback.
Verstappen returns to the cockpit for a full day tomorrow to make up the mileage.
Ferrari
The prancing horse enjoyed a near-perfect day, arguably looking the most prepared of any team on the grid. Leclerc was the man of the hour, completing 139 laps and showing no reliability issues whatsoever. His morning session lead translated into the fastest time of the day overall.
Observing from the trackside barriers, Antonelli also noted the car's behaviour: "Ferrari looks good, maybe they have a bit more understeer compared to Red Bull and McLaren."
Leclerc will be handing over the car to Lewis Hamilton for a full day of testing tomorrow.
Williams
Having missed the Barcelona shakedown, Williams used today to find a baseline. Alex Albon completed 62 laps in the morning session while Carlos Sainz added 69, utilising the consistent Bahrain conditions to accelerate their learning.
Team Principal James Vowels remains optimistic about the team's trajectory: "There is something that’s good about being in fairly constant conditions, which is Bahrain. Obviously the track goes very warm and very cold, but we want to experience that anyway. But without wet weather and good baselines, we’re able to move the car on very quickly, so I’m very confident of that."
Racing Bulls
The team split their day effectively. Liam Lawson took the first half, completing 50 laps, before handing over to Lindblad for the second half, where he added 83 laps to the total. The car showed decent reliability throughout the 133-lap total.
Aston Martin
It was a much better day for Aston Martin, who managed to avoid the reliability woes that plagued their opening day. The team focused on high-fuel runs to understand the car's balance understand the car's balance under the new regulations.
Haas
Bearman provided the shock of the day, finishing third fastest overall. His lap was a statement of intent with two purple sectors, indicating that the VF-26 has genuine one-lap pace. The British driver completed 130 laps, providing a mountain of data for the team.
Audi
The new entrants looked to be in reasonable shape as they continued their transition. Nico Hülkenberg managed 47 laps in the morning, while Gabriel Bortoleto completed 67 laps in the afternoon, focusing on system checks and aero mapping.
Alpine
Concerns are mounting for the French team. Following yesterday's issues with Franco Colapinto, Gasly's stoppage at Turn 1 marks the second reliability failure in 48 hours.
Cadillac
The American newcomer had a bizarre moment in the afternoon when Valtteri Bottas lost a mirror. The part flew off down the main straight, though the team was able to continue their program. They finished the day focused on reliability over outright speed.
Looking ahead
The final day of testing tomorrow will see many drivers return for full-day sessions. With Verstappen, Hamilton and Piastri all slated for extended running, the paddock expects glimpses of true race pace.
