MOTORSPORT – MERCEDES were once again atop the timesheet last night as the second week of Formula One Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2026 continued at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
Nineteen-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli followed the lead of teammate George Russell from the previous day by setting the pace in yesterday’s running around the 5.412-kilometre track at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’.
Antonelli was quickest under lights on the second and penultimate day of the final three-day tests at BIC, posting a best lap time of one minute 32.803 seconds during the evening’s runs in cool conditions.
His strong form saw him lead the classification for the second time in the five days so far of testing. His mark last night was also the quickest of the F1 pre-season in Bahrain – showcasing the capabilities of Mercedes’s F1 W17 car and making up for the limited track time Antonelli had in week one, when he faced persistent reliability issues with his contender.
“We continue to make up for the lost ground we suffered in the first test here in Bahrain – that was our aim coming into this final pre-season test and hopefully we can make tomorrow count too,” Antonelli said after completing 79 laps after taking over for Russell, who ran in the morning.
“With just one more day in the car before we head to Melbourne, every lap counts.
“Our programme today contained lots of set-up work along with some single lap running. We were able to get through everything we had planned and end the day P1.
“Whilst that is positive, the gaps between those at the front are already incredibly small and down to a matter of hundredths today.
“We will continue to push hard, look to finish this test well, and hope to be in the fight near the front come the first race in Australia.”
Antonelli was classified just 0.058 seconds faster than McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, behind the wheel of the MCL40 of the back-to-back F1 constructors’ world champions. Piastri was also on track for the evening tests, when he registered 86 laps.
Four-time F1 drivers’ world champion Max Verstappen followed in third, testing the full day for Red Bull Racing in their RB22. He was 0.359secs off the pace as he racked up the highest number of laps for the day of 139.
“As a team, it was good to focus on longer run performance today,” explained Verstappen. “We made some adjustments to the set-up, which has given us some good direction overnight.
“Having a full day of running was positive. The tyres are super sensitive so there’s still a lot of analysis required there.
“On Friday, we will aim to get as many laps as we can. There is still a lot to understand, so we hope to get as much data on the car as we can ahead of Melbourne”.
Seven-time F1 drivers’ world champion Lewis Hamilton came fourth in Ferrari’s SF-26, 0.605s from the top, while reigning F1 drivers’ world champion Lando Norris made it two McLarens in the top five, clocking 0.650s from Antonelli with the fastest time of yesterday’s morning session.
“It was not a perfect day for the team, as we weren’t able to complete everything we had planned,” said Hamilton. “That said, it was a great testament to everyone’s hard work, doing a fantastic job fixing the car and getting me back out on track.
“I’m really grateful for the laps we were able to complete, and the data we gathered will be important as we continue to prepare for the season.”
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in his A526 ranked sixth 1.015s from Antonelli, while completing the top 10 were Nico Hulkenberg in his Audi R26 1.184s off the pace, Russell 1.308s behind his teammate, Esteban Ocon of Haas 1.398s adrift in his VF-26, and Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls 1.729s in his VCARB 03.
“We have faced some challenges at times, but the team has done an excellent job, particularly this week, in racking up a lot of mileage and providing us with very interesting data to analyse,” said Colapinto.
“For me personally, it was beneficial today to start pushing the car harder and working on different setups. We have some ideas for further progress.”
Ocon commented: “It’s been a very decent day for all of us, really trying to tackle some of the balance issues we’ve been facing since the beginning of the test with the car. I think we’ve found some decent solutions, which, after today, is very positive.
“Obviously, there’s still more learning that we need to be doing, and hopefully tomorrow we can continue to understand more. I think today’s probably been the most productive day of the whole year.”
Rounding out the day two classification from 11th to 16th, respectively, were Alexander Albon testing the while day for Williams in their FW48, Gabriel Bortoleto with Audi, Oliver Bearman for Haas, Sergio Perez for Cadillac in their CA01, Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin’s AMR26 testing the entire day, and Valtteri Bottas for Cadillac.
“It was not the easiest day with a few disruptions,” admitted Alonso. “It was important to get some mileage in, but it wasn’t enough, and we couldn’t complete our run-plan due to a power unit-related issue that caused an early finish to the afternoon session.
“There are many things we need to fix, but I know everyone at the track and at the campus is working at 100 per cent capacity to find solutions.”
F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2026 continues today with the sixth and final day at BIC. It will pave the way for the season-opening grand prix of this year’s FIA F1 World Championship, set to be held in Australia from March 6 to 8.
BIC will be welcoming fans today, with gates scheduled to open at 11am and close at 7pm.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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