Is Ferrari the team to beat? Live coverage of F1 pre-season testing Day 1 in Bahrain. Follow our live coverage of day 1 of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.

At the Bahrain International Circuit, the second and final round of Formula 1 pre-season testing is about to get underway as teams prepare in detail for the upcoming championship. Follow our live coverage of Day 1 as the grid returns to the track in Sakhir.

Formula 1 testing in Bahrain begins: live updates from day 1

11:45 – Lando Norris returns to the pits, uncertainty if he will go back out with rear rake sensors

Lando Norris has come back into the McLaren garage, and it remains to be seen whether he will return to the track with the rear rake sensors installed. The team is closely monitoring data collection from the morning session to optimize car performance.

11:41 – Twenty minutes left in the morning session, most teams continue race pace work

With just twenty minutes remaining in the first morning session, nearly all teams are focused on long-run pace testing. Engineers are analyzing tire degradation, fuel loads, and overall consistency as the cars circulate the Bahrain International Circuit.

11:30 – McLaren back on track, Norris fitted with rear rake sensors

McLaren has rejoined the track, with Lando Norris now running with the rear rake sensors installed on his car. The team aims to gather detailed aerodynamic data to refine their setup for both qualifying and race simulations.

11:25 – On-track activity at a minimum, only Antonelli circulating on C3 tires

Track activity has dropped significantly, with only Francesco Antonelli continuing to run on C3 compound tires. Most teams are completing their data analysis and preparing for their final runs before the morning session concludes.

11:20 – Drivers currently on track: Leclerc, Antonelli, Gasly, Ocon, and Lindblad; Alonso and Hadjar absent

The drivers actively circulating are Charles Leclerc, Francesco Antonelli, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, and Linus Lindblad. Notably absent from the morning track activity are Fernando Alonso and Isack Hadjar, who have yet to complete any laps.

11:12 – Leclerc continues race pace testing, clocks 1:38.3 on last lap

Charles Leclerc is focused on simulating race conditions, completing his latest lap in 1:38.3. The Ferrari driver is gathering critical feedback for the team to assess long-run tire performance and race strategy options.

11:09 – Live timing issues persist, coverage relies solely on images

F1 live timing has again stopped functioning, causing difficulties in tracking session data. For the remainder of the morning, coverage will depend solely on visuals and team-reported information until the timing system is restored.

11:04 – Kimi Antonelli shows a strong pace
Antonelli impressed by completing eight laps consistently around 1:37.5, showing solid rhythm on used tyres.

11:01 – Hadjar sits out the rest of the morning
As confirmed by Sky Italia, Isack Hadjar will not return to the track for the remainder of this morning’s Bahrain test session.

11:00 – One hour remaining: updated leaderboard

10:57 – Red Bull locked down in the garage
The latest reports indicate cooling issues affecting both the turbo and the power unit. It seems unlikely the Austrian team will return to the track before the lunch break.

10:55 – Aston Martin still struggling
Persistent issues with the Honda power unit are keeping the British team off the track for now, as they continue diagnostics and repairs.

10:53 – McLaren continues setup work
Lando Norris is busy testing setup changes, but errors continue to accumulate, particularly under braking. The team is working on refining the car’s balance.

10:51 – Red Bull completes few laps
Red Bull remains the team with the fewest laps so far this morning, completing only 13. Engineers are still working on the car, leaving questions about whether they will manage another run before the session ends.

10:49 – Leclerc back in the car
While Ferrari engineers complete final checks on the SF-26, Charles Leclerc returns to the cockpit, preparing for another run.

10:45 – Red Bull driver Hadjar relaxed in the garage
Despite the car being stationary for over an hour, Hadjar appears calm, joking with the team during the wait.

10:42 – Cadillac’s pace slower than expected
Sergio Perez is currently lapping at 1:41.144, roughly 7.5 seconds slower than the leader, Leclerc, as the team works on final adjustments.

10:36 – Perez finally on track
The Cadillac driver completes his first laps of the session after sitting out the early morning, having completed only three laps until now.

10:31 – Audi conducts flow-viz testing
Nico Hulkenberg’s car is using flow-viz paint on the front-right section as the German team studies airflow patterns and optimizes aerodynamic performance.

10:27 – Ferrari testing flow-viz on the rear
Earlier in the morning, Ferrari focused on rear-end aerodynamics using flow-viz paint to study airflow and adjust bodywork for optimal performance.

10:23 – Leclerc’s energy-saving techniques
Analysis of Leclerc’s fastest laps shows that the Monegasque uses first gear in corners 1, 8, and 10. This approach conserves battery energy while maintaining competitive lap times.

10:10 – Charles Leclerc rejoins the track in the Ferrari, this time running on used C3 tyres.

10:03 – Updated standings after the first two hours of testing

Track updates and technical notes

09:59 – There may be issues for Red Bull. Isack Hadjar stopped in the garage after completing 13 laps. Mechanics positioned themselves outside the garage wall to shield the work they were doing.

09:57 – Ferrari’s engine continues to perform well with Haas. Esteban Ocon completed the most laps so far, 37, without any problems.

09:50 – Fernando Alonso faces some difficulties. His Aston Martin struggles both on corner entry and exit in the final turn, leaving a visible black streak on the asphalt.

09:42 – Cadillac has reported a sensor issue. Sergio Perez, after sitting out the first hour, went on track but returned to the pits after just one lap.

09:36 – Lando Norris improved his time a few minutes ago, coming just a few tenths off Leclerc. The reigning world champion set 1:34.052 on his 25th lap.

09:21 – Work underway in the Mercedes garage. Kimi Antonelli remained in the pits for a full 47 minutes. The mechanics worked on changing the setup and adjusting the front wing angle. The Italian driver has now returned to the track.

09:20 – After making several adjustments, Charles Leclerc heads back out on track. Ferrari has now completed 17 laps and remains at the top of the timesheets.

09:15 – At the moment, the only team yet to take to the track is Cadillac, which is expected to run in the morning session with Sergio Perez. It is unclear whether there is any issue behind the delay.

09:09 – With limited on-track activity, here is another recap of the current times classification:

09:04 – At the end of the first hour, track activity is very limited. At present, only Gasly and Ocon are circulating, with both drivers having surpassed the 15-lap mark.

08:58 – More problems for Hulkenberg. The German driver stalls for a second time during a practice start.

08:50 – Leclerc improves his time and moves to the top: 1:33.739 for the Monegasque driver, the best overall time for Ferrari and very close to Antonelli’s Day 3 benchmark.

08:44 – Fernando Alonso was also on track until a few minutes ago and has completed nine laps so far. It is crucial for his team to log as many laps as possible in order to recover the mileage lost in recent weeks.

08:36 – A small setback for Hulkenberg at the end of the pit lane. While attempting a practice start, the Audi driver’s engine stalled. This underlines how even this phase has become increasingly complex.

08:34 – After the first half hour, here is a look at the classification:

08:29 – Ferrari is back out on track running flow-vis paint on the rear wing, as the Scuderia continues its detailed aerodynamic evaluation programme during this second week of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain. The fluorescent paint is being used to study airflow behaviour and verify correlation data between the wind tunnel, CFD simulations and real-world track conditions.

Charles Leclerc makes a small mistake at Turn 10, running slightly wide at the exit of the corner. It is the same section where the car had already shown some difficulty last week, suggesting that Ferrari is still working to fine-tune the balance and rear-end stability in that part of the circuit.

08:34 – After the first half hour of running, let’s take a look at the current timesheets:

At this early stage of the morning session, Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the field with a 1:34.473, closely followed by Lando Norris. However, as is typical during pre-season testing, lap times should be viewed with caution, as teams are running different fuel loads, tyre compounds and test programmes while gathering valuable data ahead of the start of the new Formula 1 season.

08:22 – The early lap times remain significantly slower than the benchmarks recorded at the end of last week’s session. For the moment, the reference time is a 1:36.376 set by Pierre Gasly, although it is clear that performance runs are not yet the primary focus for most teams.

08:16 – Meanwhile, these new cars are once again confirming how challenging they are to drive. We have already seen several front-locking incidents, particularly at Turn 1, as drivers push to understand the braking limits and front-end grip levels in the cooler morning conditions.

08:09 – As reported by our trackside journalists, Lando Norris is trying to find the optimal setting for closing the flaps in “straight-line mode.” During his first two laps, the reigning world champion ran wide on both occasions at Turn 11, highlighting how tricky it still is to balance these new-generation Formula 1 cars.

08:06 – At Mercedes and Williams, the focus remains firmly on collecting data. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Alexander Albon are running with multiple aero rakes fitted to their cars, a clear indication that both teams are concentrating on aerodynamic correlation work and flow analysis in these early stages of the session.

08:03 – The drivers scheduled for the morning session waste no time: Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Alexander Albon head straight out onto the track to begin their installation laps and early data-gathering runs.

08:00 – GREEN LIGHT! The first day of the second and final week of pre-season testing is officially underway.

07:56 – Our correspondents on site in Bahrain have sent through the first images from the paddock. Charles Leclerc is ready to head out on track with the Ferrari SF-26, as the Scuderia continues its development programme ahead of the new season.

07:51 – While we wait for the green light at the end of the pit lane, Formula 1 has released the official photo of the 2026 Formula 1 class, offering fans a first collective look at the new generation of drivers preparing for the sport’s next regulatory era.

07:45 – Which drivers will we see on track this morning? The drivers scheduled to take part in the opening session are: Charles Leclerc, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez.

07:30 – What are the weather conditions like in Bahrain? For the morning session, temperatures are expected to reach around 18°C, with possible peaks of up to 20°C. These figures are not particularly high, especially considering the circuit’s location in the middle of the desert, which can often produce much hotter conditions later in the year.

07:00 – Good morning to all our readers and welcome to our live coverage of the opening day of the second round of official pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. After collecting crucial data during last week’s sessions, the drivers are back on track to start getting serious and push these brand-new cars closer to their limits. Over the course of the day, we expect to see further race simulation runs and, most likely in the final hours of running, the first qualifying simulation attempts as teams begin to reveal more of their true performance.