Formula 1’s new era began as pre-season testing for 2026 got underway at the Bahrain International Circuit. The first of six days of running across two weeks began with a busy four-hour morning session that offered the paddocka glimpse of radically revised machinery.
With teams limited to one car per day, drivers are sharing duties across the test. Four teams opted to run a single driver throughout Wednesday’s opening session, including Red Bull with Max Verstappen, Racing Bulls with rookie Arvid Lindblad, Aston Martin with Lance Stroll and Haas with Esteban Ocon.
Active aero and energy tactics
The most visible change to the regulations this year is the arrival of active aerodynamics. Both front and rear wings can now adjust on the straights to reduce drag before returning to a higher downforce configuration for corners. While DRS is gone, drivers now have access to a new ‘overtake’ mode, allowing a burst of additional battery energy when within one second of a rival at a designated activation point.
Energy management will be critical this season. With roughly half of the power unit’s output now coming from the battery, drivers must carefully balance deployment with regeneration through braking and lift and coast techniques. Tactical battles are expected to emerge once racing begins in Australia.
Early pace and programmes
Verstappen ended the morning quickest with a 1m 35.433s, narrowly ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell. Lewis Hamilton placed fourth for Ferrari, one second adrift of the benchmark, while Ocon rounded out the top five.
Carlos Sainz may have finished seventh on the timesheets but led the lap count with an 77 laps in the Williams FW48. Lindblad completed 75 laps on his day of running for Racing Bulls.
Four drivers surpassed a full race distance of 57 laps during the session: Sainz, Lindblad, Verstappen and Ocon.
Williams catch-up, Alpine setback
Williams arrived in Bahrain keen to make up ground after missing the Barcelona shakedown due to production delays. Team principal James Vowles described the car as having «no vices» in early filming runs.
Alpine endured the only major interruption of the session. Franco Colapinto brought out the red flags after stopping on track with what appeared to be a mechanical issue. The A526 was recovered and the Argentine returned later in the session, though he finished with the fewest laps completed.
New names and returning faces
There is just one rookie this season in Lindblad, the 18-year-old stepping up to Racing Bulls following Isack Hadjar’s promotion to Red Bull.
Cadillac made their official testing debut as F1’s 11th team, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez forming an experienced pairing. Bottas completed steady mileage to place ninth on the timesheets.
Audi also began their first campaign under the new name, the former Sauber squad continuing with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg. Bortoleto logged 25 laps before returning to the garage late in the session.
Conditions and reliability
Bahrain’s stable weather proved ideal for testing, with temperatures hovering around 22 degrees Celsius and only a light breeze sweeping sand onto the circuit. Despite a few lock-ups and a half-spin for Hamilton, the smaller 2026 cars appeared stable in the gusty conditions.
Pirelli has supplied the C1, C2 and C3 compounds for the week, with teams selecting varying allocations. Tyres are slightly narrower this season and drivers have reported reduced downforce and traction compared to the previous generation.
Crucially, aside from Alpine’s stoppage, reliability was largely solid across the field in the opening four hours.
Morning standings
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 1m 35.433s
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.169s
- George Russell, Mercedes +0.675s
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +1.000s
- Esteban Ocon, Haas +1.736s
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls +2.512s
- Carlos Sainz, Williams +2.788s
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi +3.438s
- Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac +3.717s
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +4.450s
- Franco Colapinto, Alpine +4.897s
With four hours complete another session awaits after the lunch interval.
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