F1 2026 Bahrain testing live: Day 2 updates from the Sakhir circuit. Follow live coverage of day two of 2026 F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.

11:45 – Charles Leclerc is back on track after a brief stop in the pits. It remains to be seen what the work program will be for the last fifteen minutes of the session.

11:38 – A quick recap of what happened with Mercedes and Red Bull. The Silver Arrows completed only 3 laps with Antonelli, while the team led by Mekies has not gone out on track at all on Day 2.

11:34 – Lock-up for Ferrari number 16, with Leclerc lifting off the throttle.

11:32 – New C3 tyre for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver wants to improve his best lap.

11:30 – Charles Leclerc returns to track for the final half hour of the session. Remember, Leclerc will also drive the SF-26 in the afternoon. Tomorrow, it will be Lewis Hamilton’s turn.

11:27 – Despite data showing the Red Bull engine running, there are no signs of Hadjar taking to the track in the short term. It remains to be seen if the French driver will get in the car this afternoon.

11:24 – On-track activity continues for Lando Norris. The reigning world champion is currently on medium tyres and has already completed 54 laps.

11:15 – Isack Hadjar’s session in the Red Bull may be about to start. Data shows that the French driver’s engine has just been fired up.

11:11 – Here’s the lap and timing update with fifty minutes remaining in the session:

11:08 – Currently on track are Leclerc, Alonso, and Hulkenberg. Remember, Red Bull has completed zero laps so far today.

10:45 – With just over an hour remaining before the checkered flag, it’s worth noting that Red Bull has not yet gone out on track. After a strong day yesterday, the Milton Keynes team is experiencing some issues while assembling the RB22. Mercedes, on the other hand, is changing its Power Unit. Positive signs for Ferrari.

10:39 – Lando responds with a new C2, setting a 1:34.784 and putting himself just half a second behind Leclerc. The battle is heating up.

10:30 – Small update: Charles did not improve in T3; in fact, he lost quite a bit of time. This could indicate overuse of battery in the first two sectors and a drop in the third.

10:29 – Leclerc is still on track with a new C3, setting a record in T1 and T2. He also improves in T3, setting a new fastest lap of 1:34.273.

10:18 – Here’s a look at the standings so far:

10:06 – Norris finishes his stint, having used a 22-lap old C1. Very consistent times, around 37.5 seconds. Leclerc also appears to be in race-pace mode at the moment on a C3 compound.

09:59 AM – According to reports from Motorsport.com Spain, Mercedes has officially confirmed an engine issue. This explains why Kimi Antonelli has managed only three laps so far. It remains highly uncertain whether the Italian rookie will be able to return to the track before the morning session concludes.

09:51 AM – Charles Leclerc is back on it with a fresh set of C3 tires. He lit up the timing screens with a “purple” Sector 1, but backed off at Turn 11, likely due to a minor error that saw him run wide. Meanwhile, Lando Norris is focused on a different program, showing impressive consistency during a sustained race simulation.

09:37 AM – On-track activity has cooled down slightly. Over in the pit lane, Mercedes has shielded their garage with screens. Given that the W17 has only completed three laps following yesterday’s setbacks, questions are beginning to circulate about the true extent of their technical struggles.

09:22 AM – Another hot lap from Leclerc on the same set of used tires. He went purple in Sector 2 and, while he didn’t improve his overall time, he finished just two-tenths shy of his personal best. Ferrari is starting to gather some very significant performance data here.

09:16 AM – Leclerc strikes back! Using the C3 compound, the Monegasque has surged into P1 with a 1:34.442. That lap is a massive 1.3 seconds faster than Norris. A statement time from Charles.

09:14 AM – Leclerc heads back out. Simultaneously, Norris has dropped his simulation times by another two-tenths. The McLaren’s race pace looks formidable, and the paddock is now waiting to see if the rivals can match that long-run stability.

09:11 AM – Norris is relentless. After his earlier flyers, he is now locked into a race simulation, hammering out consistent lap times in the 1:37.8 range.

09:02 AM – More trouble for the Silver Arrows? Kimi Antonelli was spotted at the back of the garage after completing only two installation laps in the W17. The body language in the Mercedes camp looks concerned.

09:00 AM – Norris continues to find time. After a cool-down lap, he lowered his benchmark to a 1:35.795, notably set on the hard C1 compound.

08:52 AM – Norris rings the bell. On just his first flying lap, he posted a 1:36.187. It seems that as soon as the McLaren hits the track, it is immediately on the pace.

08:49 AM – Update from Red Bull: The plan is to begin running at 10:00 AM local time. The team describes the current issue as minor but is proceeding with caution given it is still early in the testing program. Everything appears to be under control for the Milton Keynes squad.

08:40 – Meanwhile, Cadillac appears to have been stopped due to a suspected software issue. The alarm regarding the Ferrari power unit has now been cleared.

08:35 – Charles Leclerc has returned to the track and is currently completing a series of laps, with his lap times gradually improving.

08:24 – Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg are out on track. The French driver has been particularly active, having already completed around ten laps. Alpine needs to recover lost time after missing the first part of yesterday morning’s session.

08:14 – Sergio Perez is stopped after Turn 10, but the green flag has already been shown. Meanwhile, there is an issue for Red Bull: Isack Hadjar will not take to the track for the first two hours due to a problem discovered overnight on the RB22.

08:12 – Red flag. For now, the reason is unclear. Charles Leclerc and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were on track but have already returned to the pits. Sergio Perez is stopped out on the circuit.

08:02 – Charles Leclerc heads out on track immediately on a used set of red tyres. Lando Norris is also running a used set of yellow tyres, while Oliver Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg are already out on track as well.

08:00 – Green flag! The second day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain is officially underway.

07:53 – An unbelievable situation for Aston Martin: the new AMR26 is forced to fit a new Honda power unit after just 100 laps. A disastrous start to testing for the Silverstone-based team.

07:47 – Ferrari has decided to send Charles Leclerc out on track for the entire day. It is an almost revolutionary choice, likely aimed at giving the Monegasque driver greater continuity and avoiding the time lost swapping seats between the morning and afternoon sessions.

07:45 – The so-called PU Gate appears to have reached a conclusion, with the situation expected to settle in the coming days. Toto Wolff said: “If a change to the engine regulations is voted in favour, it has to be accepted. That is the situation. In that case, it would be damaging for all teams running Mercedes power units.”

07:30 – As for the driver line-up, Red Bull has handed the entire day to its new driver Isack Hadjar. At Ferrari, it has not yet been decided who will take to the track, but there will certainly be an alternation between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. You can find all the other driver line-ups in this article.

07:00 – Good morning everyone and welcome to the second day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain. After an intense opening day, this session also promises to be particularly heated – and not just because of the weather conditions. In the meantime, before the session begins, here is a brief recap of day one.

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After a first day packed with valuable lessons for all 11 Formula 1 teams, attention now turns to day two of pre-season testing in Bahrain. The opening session gets underway from 8:00 to 12:00 local time, as teams return to the track at the Bahrain International Circuit to continue refining their 2026 challengers. Follow our Live coverage to stay updated with the latest developments and key moments from the Sakhir paddock.

Yesterday marked the official start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with the first full day of pre-season testing taking place at Sakhir. Across eight hours of on-track running — split between morning and afternoon sessions — teams gathered crucial data on reliability, balance and overall behaviour of the new-generation 2026 cars. Early protagonists included McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull, while others, including Mercedes, are aiming to make immediate progress in order to avoid losing ground to the front-runners.

Day one recap

The fastest lap of the day was set by Lando Norris, who posted a 1:34.669 during the afternoon session. Just behind him was an ever-consistent Max Verstappen, who completed an impressive 131 laps overall, underlining Red Bull’s strong start. Charles Leclerc secured third place for Ferrari, reinforcing the positive early impressions from the Maranello-based squad.

Esteban Ocon delivered an encouraging performance for Haas, finishing fourth, ahead of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. It was a productive opening day for several midfield teams, who focused heavily on mileage and correlation work rather than chasing outright lap time.

At Mercedes, George Russell completed 56 laps and finished sixth with a best time of 1:36.108. His programme centred mainly on data collection and fine-tuning the balance of the new W17. The afternoon proved more complicated for Kimi Antonelli, whose running was disrupted by a suspension issue that limited the Italian rookie to 11th place on the timesheets.

Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a solid seasonal debut with Ferrari, finishing seventh with a 1:36.433 after completing 52 laps. It was a steady introduction to the SF-26 in competitive testing conditions. By contrast, Aston Martin endured a difficult day, with Lance Stroll hampered by a Power Unit problem. Alpine also faced setbacks, as Franco Colapinto stopped on track during the morning session, triggering interruptions.

Although lap times remain largely indicative at this stage of testing, the first day already suggested a relatively balanced picture among the top teams. The next two days of running will be crucial in shaping a clearer understanding of the competitive order ahead of the opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season, now just a few weeks away.