Bahrain Test Day 1 Live coverage – Lewis Hamilton replaces Charles Leclerc as Ferrari tests updates. Live coverage of F1 Bahrain Test Day 1 as Lewis Hamilton takes over from Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton takes to the track following Charles Leclerc’s morning pace, while Red Bull faces reliability issues. Here’s the live coverage of the Day 1 afternoon session of the F1 tests in Bahrain.

17:01 – The first day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain ends: here are the standings and final results with all times.

16:57 – It’s confirmed, the drivers will practice the start with the lights

16:55 – Green flag, all drivers return to the track to practice the start

16:53 – Now the drivers should all return to the pits to then do some start practice

16:52 – We are approaching the end of the session and FIA start tests begin, red flag at the moment

16:49 – After a short pit stop, Hamilton immediately goes out on used C3 tires

16:47 – Ferrari returns to the pits after an excellent stint on prototype tires. Let’s see if Hamilton will return to the track before the end of the session

16:39 – Hamilton continues very positive work on prototype tires, his last lap registered a 1:38.255

16:33 – Just 30 minutes remain in the first day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain. On track at the moment are George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar, Lewis Hamilton, Noah Colapinto, Lance Stroll, and Valtteri Bottas.

16:29 – George Russell sets a flying lap of 1:33.459, just 0.010 seconds shy of Oscar Piastri’s best.

16:24 – Russell runs long in Turn 10 after having posted the fastest time in the first sector.

16:22 – Meanwhile, Russell’s Mercedes returns to the track with fresh C3 tyres.

16:20 – Ferrari is finally back on track. The team is using extensive flow-viz on the front wing and sidepod inlets.

16:19 – Ferrari fires up the engine once again – is it finally time for them to get back on track?

16:13 – George Russell has just finished his stint on C3 tyres. His best lap was 1:36.077, while the slowest came in at 1:36.735.

16:11 – Ferrari’s goal is to get back on track as quickly as possible. Despite the wait, the atmosphere in the Maranello garage remains very relaxed.

16:04 – Sky has denied any problems with the Ferrari car. It appears Lewis Hamilton was held in the garage purely as a precaution.

15:58 – Oscar Piastri is running a race simulation, having just fitted C1 tyres. He is likely simulating his second stint and is expected to complete around 45 laps without returning to the pits.

15:50 – Lewis Hamilton continues to stay inside the garage. Ferrari hasn’t been on track for about an hour. What issue could the Maranello team be facing?

15:48 – Meanwhile, Théo Hadjar improves his time to 1:34.391, nine tenths off Oscar Piastri’s benchmark.

15:44 – Early analysis begins to surface on the best laps from Ferrari and McLaren.

15:42 – Carlos Sainz’s car shows visible flow-viz. On track, several driver battles are emerging. Are they experimenting to optimize energy usage?

15:39 – Finally, Lance Stroll returns to the track in the Aston Martin after earlier session issues.

15:33 – Quick recap of times, one and a half hours from the end of the first Bahrain test day:

15:29 – According to Flavio Briatore, the only teams currently able to use full-power Mercedes engines are Mercedes and McLaren. Other teams will only unlock full power in Melbourne.

15:26 – First signs of Ferrari trouble? The Maranello car has been stationary in the garage for a long time, with mechanics blocking the view to hide what they are working on.

15:24 – Hadjar posts a 1:34.530, about a second off Piastri’s fastest lap of the day.

15:21 – Hadjar returns to track after 27 minutes in the garage. Red Bull is currently the team with the fewest laps completed today, even fewer than Aston Martin.

15:19 – Temperatures are dropping in Bahrain. Air temperature is 23.9°C, track temperature 28.7°C, with humidity at 45%. With cooler conditions, teams may start qualifying simulations.

15:17 – Oscar Piastri clocks a 1:33.755, just three tenths off his best lap of the session so far, signaling he’s pushing hard in the McLaren.

15:15 – The Australian returns to the track on fresh C3 tyres, likely preparing for a time attack to improve his standing.

15:08 – At the moment, Mercedes is the only top team actively running on track. Joining them are Carlos Sainz, Colapinto, and Lawson, working through their programs.

15:01 – With two hours remaining in the afternoon session, the top drivers are as follows:

14:57 – Piastri switches to fresh yellow C3 tyres and takes the top spot from Charles Leclerc, setting a 1:33.469. The #81 car is clearly on a serious run.

14:50 – While cars circulate on track, the FIA releases important updates concerning the measurement of compression chambers, a technical note likely affecting all power units.

14:46 – Lewis Hamilton improves during a fresh run, posting a 1:34.299 despite a minor error in turn 4.

14:43 – Bortoletto continues his program with Audi, focusing on consistent race pace. The Brazilian is circulating around 1:38.500 on C2 tyres.

14:42 – Red Bull’s program remains opaque. Hadjar keeps leaving the pits only to return immediately, suggesting ongoing setup work.

14:41 – The Cadillac makes its afternoon debut, though the American squad encounters several technical issues, highlighting the challenges of a new team in pre-season testing.

14:37 – Long runs continue for Piastri on C2 tyres and Russell on C3, though neither is producing consistent lap times at the moment.

14:30 – Sainz improves into seventh place, while Colapinto and Lawson are running race-pace simulations. Other cars active on track include Piastri, Russell, Bortoletto, and Bearman. Red Bull continues to struggle with Hadjar unable to complete a stable stint.

14:23 – Here is the updated classification after the top teams completed their first flying laps of the afternoon session.

14:18 – The track comes alive, and Piastri posts a 1:34.067 to move up into third place, just behind Leclerc and Norris.

14:16 – Russell closes in on his former teammate. The Mercedes driver slots in just a few thousandths behind Hamilton after his long run was interrupted by the red flag.

14:13 – Strong lap from Hamilton, who climbs up the standings with a 1:34.576, edging closer to Leclerc at the top of the timesheets.

14:11 – Ferrari’s #44 is back at work, once again fitting the yellow-marked C3 compound tyres.

14:09 – The session resumes immediately, with Sainz wasting no time in heading out on track in his Williams.

14:05 – While we wait for the green light, let’s take another look at the incident that forced the Canadian off track.

13:59 – Red flag! Stroll ends up in the gravel at Turn 10 with the AMR26, temporarily stopping the session.

13:54 – Almost an hour after the green flag, here is the current classification for the day:

13:50 – Russell is running a long stint on the C1 compound, consistently lapping in the low 1:37s, except for one lap where he locked up. Meanwhile, Audi’s Bortoletto joins the session, leaving only Cadillac yet to appear on track.

13:45 – Hamilton and Piastri return to the track, while Stroll is finally able to complete his first kilometres of the day in the Aston Martin. Sainz and Bearman, on the other hand, have come back into the pits.

13:40 – George Russell is also active on track after previously complaining about the steering on his Mercedes.

13:37 – Hadjar and Bearman join their colleagues on track as the afternoon session begins to gain momentum.

13:33 – As Sainz, Lawson and Colapinto head out of the pit lane, there appears to be an issue in the Audi garage. The R26 is still on stands, with several components yet to be fitted to the bodywork.

13:29 – Hamilton continues running solo

Just a pass through the pit lane for Hamilton, who now continues his program as the only driver currently on track. So far, participation has been limited, with only a few drivers logging laps in this early phase of the session.

13:28 – Hamilton returns to the garage

The Ferrari driver heads back to the pits after a short stint on C3 tires, maintaining a consistent race pace throughout the run.

13:23 – Red Bull back in action

Red Bull has officially resolved the issues that caused concern this morning. Isack Hadjar has just exited the pit lane, and we will see whether he can now continue his testing program without further setbacks.

13:20 – Piastri joins the session

While Lewis completes his lap with a relatively high lap time, Oscar Piastri begins his afternoon session, having taken over from Lando Norris for McLaren.

13:16 – Hamilton on track with upgrades under evaluation

Lewis Hamilton heads out on track. Ferrari is focusing on the upgrades introduced this week, with flow-vis paint applied to the rear section of the car to analyze airflow patterns. The English driver’s feedback will be crucial, especially when compared with that of his teammate from the morning session.

13:10 – Drivers on track this afternoon

• Piastri
• Russell
• Hadjar
• Hamilton
• Sainz
• Lawson
• Stroll
• Bearman
• Colapinto
• Bortoleto
• Bottas

13:06 – First cars on track

Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson are the first drivers to take to the track for this afternoon session, representing Haas and Racing Bulls respectively.

13:04 – Quiet start at Sakhir

There is apparent calm at Sakhir, with most teams yet to send their cars out in the opening minutes of the session. Crews are still finalizing adjustments after the lunch break before fully committing to their afternoon testing programs.

12:56 – Countdown to green flag

Just a few minutes to the start of the session. Several teams, including Red Bull, will need to make up for lost time this morning due to issues with their cars.

12:48 – Session start time and schedule

The afternoon session is scheduled to start at 13:00 local Italian time. Drivers and teams will have four hours to complete their planned programs. As the sun sets over Bahrain, we could also see an early qualifying simulation using the red tires.

12:44 – Ferrari brings updates

Ferrari has brought technical updates to the track this week. The team opted to put both drivers on track immediately to gather feedback ahead of tonight’s debrief. Maranello’s solutions will be closely analyzed throughout the session.

12:13 – Morning highlights

This morning, Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap, followed by Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli. Among the top teams, Red Bull struggled with reliability, completing only 13 laps with Isack Hadjar leaving the car early. For a full recap of the first session, click here.

12:00 – Afternoon session begins

Good afternoon! Day 1 of the second Bahrain test week continues with the afternoon session, as temperatures drop in the desert and drivers push harder. Follow our live coverage for continuous updates on F1 testing in Bahrain.

11:40 – Formula 1 back on track

Formula 1 has resumed action with teams completing their final three days of track testing before preparing for the first race in Melbourne. In Sakhir this week, teams are focusing on car setup and performance. Reliability feedback has already become apparent from the sessions held earlier in the season.