Formula 1

F1.com's Lawrence Barretto picks out his winners and losers from the final 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain.

F1.com's Lawrence Barretto tries to answer the five key questions that came out of the second pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit.

As the second and final 2026 pre-season test wraps up in Bahrain, F1.com crunches all of the key numbers from the event.

Oscar Piastri has admitted that he and the McLaren team are “getting a little bit more optimistic” following the second pre-season test in Bahrain, though the Australian has cautioned that he does not believe the squad are “leading the pack by any stretch of the imagination”.

Formula 1 teams ramped up their preparations for the 2026 campaign across pre-season testing, with some innovative developments appearing on the cars.

With the final day of pre-season testing coming to a close, join the F1 TV crew as they discuss all the big talking points from Friday’s running in Bahrain.

F1.com's Lawrence Barretto analyses the third and final day of the second pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Pre-season testing came to a close at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday, with Charles Leclerc setting the pace for Ferrari via an eye-catching evening run.

Fred Vasseur reflected positively on how Ferrari’s pre-season testing unfolded in Bahrain, with the team boss suggesting that the squad did “pretty well” in terms of meeting their target to gain a lot of mileage, though also cautioned that development will be key to “keeping momentum” during the season ahead.

Charles Leclerc has ended the final day of 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain at the top of the timesheets, heading Lando Norris and Max Verstappen as Friday’s running brought the second test to a close.

George Russell believes that Mercedes need to “keep on improving reliability” after experiencing some gremlins during the Bahrain test, with the Briton also suggesting that race starts could be the “tallest hurdle” to the team’s potential.

Charles Leclerc posted the fastest time as pre-season testing continued at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday, slotting ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri in the morning session.

Aston Martin Team Representative Pedro de la Rosa has made clear that Aston Martin are “not where they want to be” amid a difficult pre-season period, with the squad working “flat-out” to get on top of their issues.

Aston Martin’s new power unit partner, Honda, have released a statement following the disruptions to the team’s programme on the second day of the final pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Keep up to date with all the action - both on track and off it - as the 11 F1 teams work on preparations for the 2026 season. Live coverage of Day 3 in Bahrain.

Here are the drivers that will be behind the wheel for the final day of 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Stefano Domenicali is feeling “totally positive” that the 2026 season will be an “incredible year”, with the President and CEO of Formula 1 explaining that there will be an opportunity to “learn” from the new regulations.

As the second day of the final 2026 pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit drew to a close, the F1 TV crew assembled to run through the key talking points.

F1.com’s Lawrence Barretto examines the key developments from Day 2 of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain.

Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes topped the timesheets on the second day of the final 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, as drivers and teams continued to learn more about their new cars.