Charles Leclerc topped the first morning of the final pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit on 20/02/2026, with key running, sensor delays and several spins shaping the day
Bahrain International Circuit, 20/02/2026 — The final pre-season test finished its second day at Sakhir with teams squeezing every useful kilometre from the closing session. The mood was pragmatic: validate setups, gather fresh telemetry and make sure the cars behave as intended before the season opener.
Morning: Ferrari sets the early bar
Ferrari dominated the opening four-hour block. Charles Leclerc produced the morning’s quickest lap, a 1:33.739, while the team methodically worked through installation laps, aero logging and tyre programmes. Most teams split time between race drivers and their teammates, treating this final rehearsal as a collective effort to hunt down last-minute issues.
A mix of stints filled the track: short, attacking laps to check peak pace, and longer simulations designed to stress tyres and highlight balance changes. Leclerc’s benchmark came after a qualifying-style flyer bookended by longer runs to assess degradation.
Lando Norris trailed by roughly three-tenths, with Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli another tenth back — a compact top three that blended outright speed with endurance work. Alex Albon, back in the Williams after missing Barcelona, slotted into fourth and kept the team’s progress on display.
Tools of the trade: rakes, sensors and real answers
Several cars ran conspicuous aerodynamic rakes as teams mapped airflow over updated bodywork. Engineers alternated suspension and cooling checks with power-unit and brake-mapping runs. On-track measurements remain the final arbiter between CFD, wind-tunnel predictions and how the car actually behaves — tiny shifts in balance or a surprising tyre fade can point directly to setup changes that matter on race day.
Not every programme ran smoothly. Cadillac battled sensor gremlins that kept Sergio Pérez in the garage for long stretches; his first meaningful installation lap only arrived around 75 minutes into the session. Electronic hiccups like that quickly eat into precious mileage and are a blunt reminder of how fragile test schedules can be.
Spirited moments and limits explored
Drivers didn’t shy away from pushing the envelope. Nico Hülkenberg nudged the gravel briefly, while Fernando Alonso and rookie Arvid Lindblad had lively moments through the final corner. A handful of spins and off-track excursions were recorded as teams probed tyre windows and aero balance — the kind of controlled risk that produces honest data about the car’s limits.
Long runs: endurance and strategy checks
Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad topped the mileage after completing a full race-distance simulation, a deliberate check on durability and stint strategy. Alpine pair Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly also logged heavy laps, focusing on tyre degradation and fuel consumption to refine stint plans. The morning’s theme was methodical: gather baseline data, cross-check aero logs and then push intensity once the picture became clearer.
Afternoon: driver swaps and sharper programmes
After lunch most teams swapped drivers so both race drivers and teammates could accumulate useful seat time; Red Bull, by contrast, kept Hadjar in the car for the whole day. Engineers used the morning telemetry to shape the afternoon’s agenda, which leaned toward more aggressive runs and qualifying-style efforts at higher temperatures.
Programmes diverged. Some squads concentrated on long runs and tyre management, aiming for consistency; others chased low-fuel laps to examine qualifying trim. That variety means raw lap times don’t tell the whole story — they reflect priorities and test objectives more than a simple pecking order.
Late running and close margins
George Russell topped the late times with a 1:33.459, a scant 0.010s ahead of Oscar Piastri and around three‑tenths quicker than Leclerc. Those tiny margins underline how fuel loads, tyre choices and programme intentions can shuffle the order by the minute.
Morning: Ferrari sets the early bar
Ferrari dominated the opening four-hour block. Charles Leclerc produced the morning’s quickest lap, a 1:33.739, while the team methodically worked through installation laps, aero logging and tyre programmes. Most teams split time between race drivers and their teammates, treating this final rehearsal as a collective effort to hunt down last-minute issues.0
