F1 testing day one lap times in full as four teams set pace in Bahrain
Day one of the third and final 2026 pre-season test has been completed.
Mercedes' George Russell set the quickest lap time on day one of the third and final 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain - with some surprises further down the field.
Russell's lap time of 1:33.459, set during the final hour of the afternoon session at the Bahrain International Circuit, was enough to top the timesheets on the C3 medium tyre.
In second place was McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who was 0.010 seconds off the pace and had earlier been leading the field before Russell's lap in the final hour.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who was 0.280 seconds off Russell's pace in a car which has so far proven reliable during pre-season testing, placed third.
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World champion Lando Norris and Russell's Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli rounded off the top five, with the Silver Arrows continuing to build on their strong display in the first Bahrain test.
Isack Hadjar (+0.801 behind) and Lewis Hamilton (+0.840) were the only other cars to lap within a second of Russell's time.
Carlos Sainz secured a strong result for Williams with eighth place - 1.654 seconds off the lead - albeit having used the softer C4 tyre on his best lap.
Bringing up the rear - aside from Max Verstappen, who did not take to the track on Wednesday - were the two Cadillac cars of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
The Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll continued to struggle relative to where they may have been expected to place prior to testing, with Alonso's fastest lap time over three seconds off the pace and only placing him 17th.
Stroll, who span out early in the afternoon due to what appeared to be a car issue rather than driver error, returned to the circuit late on and set a lap of 1:35.974, which was good enough for 15th.
Bahrain testing day 1 - Full leaderboard
1) George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:33.459
2) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.010
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.280
4) Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.593
5) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.699
6) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +0.801
7) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.840
8) Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.654
9) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.795
10) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1.804
11) Alex Albon (Williams) +2.231
12) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +2.294
13) Oliver Bearman (Haas) +2.319
14) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +2.439
15) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +2.515
16) Esteban Ocon (Haas) +2.959
17) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +3.077
18) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +3.282
19) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +3.310
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +3.339
21) Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +4.732
Where was Max Verstappen on day one?
Intriguingly, Verstappen was the only driver of the 22 in the field to be absent from the track on day one of the second and final Bahrain test.
Red Bull instead decided to allow his team-mate Isack Hadjar to drive for the entirety of the day, clocking up valuable mileage ahead of the new season.
Hadjar was briefly consigned to the garage on Wednesday morning as mechanics worked on his car, but otherwise enjoyed another solid day at the wheel of the Red Bull.
The Bahrain test will last three days and, as such, Verstappen is expected to take to the track on Thursday.
Topics: Formula 1, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes
Ryan Smart