Charles Leclerc takes over for Ferrari’s afternoon session: Live updates from F1 testing in Bahrain. Charles Leclerc takes the wheel of the Ferrari SF-26 in the afternoon session of Day 1.

F1 test Bahrain | Charles Leclerc takes over as Ferrari searches for answers: live coverage of Day 1

5:03 PM – First day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain ends: here’s the full classification and final results with all lap times.

4:55 PM – Verstappen tries a late attack, lighting up a purple sector in the first sector. Despite a half-second advantage there, the Dutchman ends up just 0.15 seconds behind Lando Norris.

4:48 PM – We had an on-board lap from Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari SF-26. The footage clearly shows the green battery bar on the steering wheel, which rises under braking and drops sharply under acceleration. Leclerc’s driving was generally clean, with only minor corrections around Turn 10.

16:44 – After spending much of the session in the garage, Kimi Antonelli has resumed running on the C1 tires, the hardest compound brought by Pirelli. The Mercedes driver has completed 18 laps so far, still far from the competitive times of the day.

16:40 – Some drivers continue to lock up the front tires while trying to find the optimal feeling with the new cars. Pierre Gasly ran wide at the tricky Turn 10 while pushing for grip and setup.

16:31 – Charles Leclerc returns to the track on a fresh set of C3 tires. In this last half-hour of the session, some teams might attempt short qualifying simulations to gauge performance.

16:23 – Positive feedback also comes from Haas, powered by Ferrari. Esteban Ocon has just surpassed 100 laps and is closing in on Leclerc, showing promising reliability and pace.

16:20 – Leclerc and Lando Norris return to the pits after running their stints. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, continues without pause and has now reached 121 laps on his Red Bull.

16:10 – Following the morning session, Lewis Hamilton shared his first impressions of the SF-26 with Sky Sport F1, providing insights into his initial experience behind the wheel. Read the full article for detailed analysis of Hamilton’s feedback.

4:02 PM – Mercedes has resolved the issues on Kimi Antonelli’s car. The Italian driver can finally begin his afternoon running.

3:59 PM – One hour remains in the first day of pre-season testing. Here’s the updated standings:

3:53 PM – Charles Leclerc improves as temperatures drop. The Ferrari driver moves up to third place, cutting his gap to Norris to just half a second.

3:44 PM – Just over an hour before the session ends, the leader changes. Lando Norris posts a 1:34.669, taking the top spot from Max Verstappen by roughly a tenth and a half.

3:42 PM – After the first day of testing, the incredible work on Red Bull’s first power unit is evident. Verstappen has completed 116 laps without any warnings or issues.

3:33 PM – Excellent progress from Williams as well, the team that completely skipped the Barcelona shakedown. Both Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz are running in the top 10, with no issues reported on the cars, which are completing their first kilometers today.

3:30 PM – Aston Martin has encountered a problem with the Honda power unit. Lance Stroll, having completed only 36 laps, remains stationary in the pits.

3:24 PM – Let’s take a look at the updated standings an hour and a half before evening, as temperatures in Bahrain begin to drop:

3:17 PM – Lando Norris is closing in on Red Bull, starting to push in the McLaren. The world champion overtakes his teammate and moves up to second place.

3:16 PM – Ferrari improves with Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque rises to third with a 1:35.959, now just one second behind Max Verstappen.

3:07 PM – According to Sky Sport F1, Mercedes has reported an issue with Kimi Antonelli’s car. The team aims to get the Italian on track for at least the final 90 minutes of the day.

3:01 PM – Meanwhile, Lando Norris has started to push, moving his McLaren to sixth position and closing in on the leading group.

2:56 PM – After reaching 100 laps on the first day of testing, Max Verstappen returns to the pits. So far, the Red Bull has shown no issues for the four-time world champion; the work done on the first power unit built in Milton Keynes is outstanding.

2:47 PM – Mercedes closes the garage to work away from the cameras on Kimi Antonelli’s car, likely changing the setup as the Italian has completed very few laps.

2:43 PM – Leclerc and Lando Norris return to the track. The world champion is on a completely different program from the others, running at much higher lap times.

2:41 PM – As soon as the green light returns, Max Verstappen is the first back on track. The Dutch driver wastes no time, continuing his extensive program with the Red Bull.

2:37 PM – Green flag. The session restarts with two and a half hours remaining in the first day of activity in Bahrain.

2:33 PM – RED FLAG. Issues for Audi this afternoon in Bahrain. For the team led by Binotto, the start of the session has not been simple in these early weeks.

2:32 PM – YELLOW FLAG. Live timing shows Nico Hulkenberg stopped on track. It remains to be seen whether this is a technical issue for Audi.

2:25 PM – Nearly an hour and a half of on-track activity during this afternoon session. Here is a recap of laps completed:

2:23 PM – Max Verstappen continues to rack up kilometers, and many are already thinking Red Bull could be the favorite for the season.

The afternoon session of Day 1 of the 2026 F1 preseason tests in Bahrain has begun, and it is now Ferrari’s turn with Charles Leclerc behind the wheel of the SF-26. Here is the live coverage of all the action as it unfolds on the track.

14:17 – Leclerc already back on track

As expected, Charles Leclerc has already returned to the track and has completed sixteen laps so far during this afternoon session of Day 1 in Bahrain.

14:12 – Lance Stroll reportedly in hospitality

According to SoyMotor, Lance Stroll is reportedly in the hospitality area. The Canadian driver, who is driving the AMR26 today, has completed only 36 laps so far. It has not been an encouraging start to testing for Aston Martin, with limited mileage in these early hours of running.

14:03 – Lando Norris back on track

The reigning world champion, Lando Norris, is back out on track. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc has just returned to the garage for some minor adjustments to his Ferrari SF-26 as the team continues to fine-tune the setup.

13:55 – Top speeds so far

In terms of top speeds recorded up to this point in the session, these are the figures collected so far:

VER — 336 km/h
LIN — 329 km/h
RUS — 324 km/h
OCO — 322 km/h
HAM — 314 km/h
PIA — 313 km/h
SAI — 310 km/h
BOR — 306 km/h
BOT — 304 km/h
STR — 298 km/h
COL — 297 km/h

13:51 – Leclerc improves to sixth

Charles Leclerc improves his lap time and moves up to sixth position thanks to a 1:37.819. It remains to be understood exactly what program the Ferrari driver is working on during this phase of the session, as teams continue to split their focus between performance runs and data collection.

13:46 – Current classification and laps completed

Here is a summary of the lap times and total laps completed so far in this Day 1 afternoon session:

POS – DRIVER – LAPS – BEST
1 – Verstappen – 79 – 1:35.433
2 – Piastri – 54 – 1:35.602
3 – Russell – 56 – 1:36.108
4 – Hamilton – 52 – 1:36.433
5 – Ocon – 74 – 1:37.169
6 – Lindblad – 75 – 1:37.945
7 – Sainz – 77 – 1:38.221
8 – Bortoleto – 49 – 1:38.871
9 – Bottas – 49 – 1:39.150
10 – Albon – 3 – 1:39.416
11 – Stroll – 34 – 1:39.883
12 – Leclerc – 7 – 1:40.101
13 – Colapinto – 28 – 1:40.330
14 – Norris – 3 – –
15 – Perez – 2 – –

13:42 – Only two cars on track

At the moment, only two cars are circulating: Max Verstappen and Alex Albon, with the Williams driver having taken over from Carlos Sainz earlier in the session. Charles Leclerc has completed just six laps so far. Meanwhile, the first comments from Lewis Hamilton have also started to emerge from the paddock.

13:36 – Sergio Perez begins his afternoon running

Sergio Perez has now started his on-track activity. The Mexican driver is back behind the wheel of his Cadillac after Valtteri Bottas completed forty-nine laps during the morning session.

13:31 – Track activity increases

The circuit is now beginning to get busier. At this moment, Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon, and Charles Leclerc are all out on track. Lando Norris, meanwhile, has completed only two installation laps before returning to the pits.

13:27 – Charles Leclerc begins his work

Charles Leclerc has officially begun his afternoon program. The Ferrari driver headed out on the red compound tyres a short while ago, while Lando Norris completed two laps before returning to the garage.

13:15 – Morning recap

While we wait to see some cars heading back out onto the track, let’s take a quick look at what happened during the morning session of Day 1 of the 2026 Bahrain F1 preseason tests.

In terms of outright lap times, Max Verstappen was the fastest driver of the session, setting a best time of 1:35.433. However, as is often the case in testing, lap times only tell part of the story, with teams focusing on different run plans and fuel loads.

When it comes to total laps completed, the standout performance came from Williams, which managed to clock up 77 laps over the course of the morning. That is a significant figure, especially considering the numerous reliability issues the British team has faced in recent weeks. Completing such mileage represents an encouraging sign as they continue to gather crucial data ahead of the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

13:11 – Weather update

At the moment, the weather in Bahrain is around 31°C, with the track surface temperature at approximately 36°C. These are ideal conditions for testing, especially after the challenges faced by teams in Barcelona where rain had caused some disruption during the early sessions.

13:09 – Drivers still in the pits

Currently, all drivers remain in the garages, and no laps have been completed in the first eight minutes of the afternoon session. Teams are taking their time to finalize setups, check tire pressures, and review data from the morning before sending their drivers back out on track.

13:03 – Green flag!

Track activity has resumed for the four-hour afternoon session, with Charles Leclerc now driving the Ferrari SF-26 as the team continues its efforts to gather data and refine the car setup.

12:57 – Morning session recap

During the morning session, it was Max Verstappen who set the fastest time, although lap times in these initial phases are not particularly significant. The Dutch driver will continue in the Red Bull for this afternoon session as teams focus on reliability and early performance data.

12:05 – Afternoon driver lineup

This afternoon will see several top drivers on track. Charles Leclerc will replace Lewis Hamilton, who was the first of Ferrari’s two drivers to take the SF-26 out in the morning. Alongside Leclerc, other drivers in action will include Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri. The main goal for all teams, at least during this first day, is to continue collecting data focused primarily on reliability, while also taking the first careful looks at outright performance potential.

12:03 – Welcome to the afternoon session

Good afternoon and welcome to the live coverage of the afternoon session of Day 1 of testing in Bahrain! After the shakedown in Barcelona, Formula 1 returns to the track to gather data and monitor the first technical developments. Over three days, from Wednesday to Friday, teams will refine their understanding of the cars, building on—or potentially challenging—the expectations set during the five sessions in Spain. Tension is rising as additional updates are expected regarding the ongoing Power Unit situation. In the coming days, another meeting between the FIA and the teams is scheduled to discuss the so-called ‘Mercedes case.’ Recent reports suggest that high-temperature testing could take place to verify the alleged trick used by the Silver Arrows.

With Charles Leclerc now on track, all eyes will be on Ferrari to see how the SF-26 responds under the new conditions, particularly on tire performance, rear stability, and overall handling. This session, like the morning, will provide important data to shape upcoming development directions for the car, ensuring the team can maximize both reliability and speed as the season approaches.