Bahrain Day 3 morning report: Charles Leclerc leads the way as Ferrari’s race pace sizzles in the Sakhir heat. Charles Leclerc tops Day 3 of the 2026 Bahrain tests.

Bahrain 2026 Test | Day 3, Leclerc leads as Ferrari shows excellent race pace in extreme heat

Charles Leclerc finished the morning session of Day 3 of the 2026 Bahrain pre-season tests in first place, while Ferrari demonstrated excellent race pace despite very high temperatures. Here’s a full overview of lap times and performance data.

Ferrari completed its entire planned program without any issues during the morning session, with Charles Leclerc finishing first. The Monegasque showed excellent race pace under very high temperatures, and here are all the lap times and analyses.

Leclerc drives the SF-26 all day, Ferrari showcases multiple innovations

After Lewis Hamilton’s session yesterday, the Monegasque took over the SF-26 today to complete Ferrari’s testing program in Bahrain. The Maranello car features numerous innovations, particularly at the rear. This morning, the Monegasque did not fit the movable rear wing seen yesterday during a few laps by his teammate. As reported by Giuliano Duchessa, the component will no longer be mounted because its correlation test concluded yesterday. The solution is very interesting and difficult to replicate. FIA feedback also arrived yesterday, confirming a measurable performance gain. Day 3’s first session ended with Charles leading the timesheet, showing a Ferrari that is very consistent on race pace.

Leclerc finishes first with 80 laps completed

Charles Leclerc left the garage from the very first minutes of the morning to begin his program. Around 8:30 AM, the SF-26 posted the fastest lap on C3 tires, setting sector-best times in both the first and second sectors, completing the lap in 1:33.689. This ensured that the Monegasque ended the first part of the session ahead of everyone, just over one second faster than Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes. Notably, Charles Leclerc had a big slide at Turn 11 on this record lap, showing there was still margin for improvement. Naturally, these times cannot be compared directly to competitors, as we do not know fuel loads, engine maps, or other performance factors. Piero Ferrari was present to observe Charles on track. Leclerc completed 80 laps and will continue his program in the afternoon. Full morning classification:

SF-26 shows impressive race pace above 40°C track temperature

The morning offered a highly indicative long-run for Ferrari, simulating race pace under extreme conditions—approximately 43°C track and 35°C air temperatures. The first stint on C3 tires demonstrated strong competitiveness even with a heavy fuel load. Overall, the SF-26 was consistently fast and stable, which is a very positive sign given the conditions. First stint C3 lap times:

• 1:38.680
• 1:38.427
• 1:39.660
• 1:38.492
• 1:38.940
• 1:38.882
• 1:38.914
• 1:39.141
• 1:39.808
• 1:39.445
• 1:42.506 inlap

Ferrari then switched to C2 tires to continue the race pace simulation, showing strong consistency again. Stint times:

• 1:38.435
• 1:38.957
• 1:38.370
• 1:38.562
• 1:38.718
• 1:38.824
• 1:38.650
• 1:38.581
• 1:38.663
• 1:38.896
• 1:38.560
• 1:38.415
• 1:39.241
• 1:41.300 inlap

After this long sequence, Leclerc returned to the pits to fit new C3 tires. The program was briefly interrupted by a red flag caused by Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes. Summary of the next stint:

• 1:37.827
• 1:37.449
• 1:37.401
• 1:37.483
• 1:38.131
• Red flag
• 1:37.552
• 1:37.283
• 1:38.547
• 1:37.521
• 1:37.603
• 1:38.467
• 1:37.822
• 1:41.972 inlap

The final long stint, starting around 10:50 AM, used the harder C2 compound again, confirming Ferrari’s strong performance in Bahrain heat. These times should be considered as indicative only, without comparison to rivals due to unknown engine maps and fuel loads. It’s clear that Ferrari is competitive and strong on race pace. Final stint times:

• 1:37.196
• 1:36.705
• 1:38.689
• 1:36.403
• 1:36.416
• 1:36.856
• 1:36.954
• 1:37.005
• 1:37.161
• 1:37.140
• 1:37.262
• 1:37.486
• 1:37.537
• Inlap

Ferrari attempted a final push, but Leclerc did not improve his morning best. For start procedure simulations, the team chose not to run the Monegasque, likely to avoid controversy over Maranello’s perceived starting advantage. After a lunch break, Leclerc will return to the SF-26 at 1:00 PM.