“Times don’t mean much”: Charles Leclerc stays grounded after topping Day 2 in Bahrain. Charles Leclerc topped the second day of Ferrari’s pre-season F1 tests in Bahrain.

Charles Leclerc ended the second day of the first pre-season F1 test in Bahrain at the top of the timesheets, but the Ferrari driver remains grounded. Despite setting the fastest lap of the day, the Scuderia’s focus stays entirely on completing its planned program.

“My part of the work in this first test is complete. We finished the program without any issues, which is always a positive. It’s nice to look at lap times, but in testing they don’t mean much. The focus remains on ourselves and our work. The feeling in the car was quite good, but we are still in the early stages,” Charles Leclerc explained. The main unknown remains whether these positive impressions will hold steady as testing continues.

On the morning of Day 2, Charles took to the track shortly after 10 a.m. local time, using exclusively C3 tyres. The focus was on setup checks, data collection, and preparation for next week’s program. In the first part of the session, he completed 62 laps, covering 336 kilometers, alternating runs of different lengths to analyse how the car behaved on a hot and evolving track. His reference time in the morning was 1:34.273, which remained the fastest of the day.

After the lunch break, the program expanded to include a wider range of tyre compounds. In addition to C3, Charles Leclerc also used C2 and C1 tyres for two comparative long runs. In the afternoon, he completed another 80 laps, covering 433 kilometers, and recorded a personal best of 1:35.107 in the second part of the session. “Today the goal was to complete as many laps as possible and carry out all the planned tests. We continue to work and progress step by step,” the Monegasque added.

Work on the SF-26 will continue tomorrow during the final day of the first Bahrain test, with Ferrari focused on consolidating the findings so far and continuing development ahead of the start of the 2026 season.

The true hierarchy of the 2026 grid remains masked by varying fuel loads and engine modes. However, by completing nearly 800 kilometers in a single day without mechanical issues, Ferrari has demonstrated a level of preparation that its rivals are currently struggling to match. As the final day of the first test beckons, the focus will shift to fine-tuning the balance before the definitive performance runs of next week.