MOTORSPORT – FORMULA One’s superstar drivers get back to work on track today as F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2026 resumes at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
Following three valuable days of extensive running last week, another three days of tests will take place until Friday for F1’s teams to continue gathering the all-important data they need to get their completely redesigned cars ready for the 2026 FIA F1 World Championship, which flags off next month in Melbourne, Australia.
Last week, F1’s big guns showed their pace, with defending back-to-back F1 constructors’ world champions McLaren and expected title rivals Ferrari and Mercedes taking turns atop the timesheet, with Red Bull Racing also displaying impressive form.
Mercedes’s young star Kimi Antonelli posted the best lap of week one of one minute 33.669 seconds – the only sub-1:34.000 time of the first three days.
McLaren and Williams racked up the most mileage between their two drivers, completing 422 laps apiece, with Ferrari just finishing a lap behind.
Looking ahead to this week’s action, F1’s protagonists said there is still plenty to do in their final track time ahead of the highly anticipated 2026 campaign, kicking off the ‘new era’ in motorsport’s top flight.
“It’s going to take a while to get used to driving these cars and how to get the most out of them, so there’s still a lot to learn,” said McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who completed 215 laps last week while setting a best lap of 1:34.549. “I am looking forward to getting back out there next week and keeping this learning going.”
Four-time F1 drivers’ world champion Max Verstappen, who totalled 197 laps of work with a top lap time of 1:34.798, commented following his morning runs on the third day last week: “We completed a lot of things that we wanted to test with the new power unit and the car in general – it is all so new that we are still learning a lot, but the car was good. “Whether it will be enough to win races, we don’t know, we will just focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can, but there is still massive room for improvement.”
Aston Martin appeared to struggle last week, going more than five seconds slower than Antonelli’s top mark. Two-time F1 drivers’ world champion Fernando Alonso, who had a quickest time of 1:38.248 as he had 98 laps during his time in the car, said: “Testing is always about learning and today was no different. It’s clear there is a lot of work for us to still do and we need to improve our pace.
“The team will analyse everything over the coming days to make sure we are well prepared for the test next week and for the first race of the season in Melbourne.”
Haas’s Oliver Bearman had solid runs last week. He clocked a best lap of 1:35.394 with 200 laps on track. “It was another good day, making progress with the set-up and finding out more about these cars,” he said after day three. “It’s good to have a couple of days now to dig deeper into the data with the team so we can create a comprehensive list of what we need to work on for next week, but already, we have done a lot of work and found good steps. I’m looking forward to next week already.”
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto was encouraged at the end of testing’s opening week, when he completed 172 laps with an 11th-best overall time of 1:35.806.
“We completed 318 laps in total as a team and there is a lot more to do next week when testing resumes,” said Colapinto. “Lots to learn and I leave this test in a much better place than when we started.”
Testing this week at BIC will continue to offer fans the chance to be among the first in the world to witness in person the next generation of F1 machinery on track ahead of the new campaign.
Tomorrow and Friday will be open days to the public, with all those attending getting to see the F1 teams in action and also enjoying a series of off-track attractions, including dynamic racing simulators, a Batak reaction game, and a stick catching game. Aside from these, those visiting BIC will also get to see a display of the new 2026 F1 car in its special Bahrain livery.
BIC’s gates are scheduled to open at 11am and close at 7pm to spectators on both open days.
Tickets per open day of F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2026 cost BD10 for adults and BD5 for children. There is also free access on both upcoming open days for all who purchased their tickets to the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 before September 8 last year.
Following the 2026 season-opener in Melbourne, the F1 battles will continue with races in China and Japan before heading to the kingdom for the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 from April 10 to 12 – the fourth round of the world championship.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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