Autobayng News Team
Mercedes set the quickest time in testing for the third day in a row on Thursday in Bahrain.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli lowered the best time seen so far in testing to 1’32.803, getting within three seconds of last year’s pole position time at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Max Verstappen was the first driver to improve on the quickest time from the first part of the day’s test. He went on to cover the highest mileage of any driver on the penultimate day.
Oscar Piastri eventually returned McLaren to the top of the times with a best lap of 1’32.861. However with less than an hour remaining Antonelli narrowly beat that in his Mercedes.
Having done only five laps in the morning, Lewis Hamilton was quick to rejoin the track when the session resumed. Ferrari switched back to their conventional rear wing design having tested an unusual new model which rotated its main flap 180 degrees when activated.
With around 20 minutes left, Hamilton moved up to fourth place in the times. The Ferrari arguably looked best when teams performed their practice starts at the end of the session, Hamilton pulling off the line noticeably more smoothly than his rivals and arriving at the first corner before them.
Only nine cars participated in the race start test at the end of the day. It briefly looked like there would only be eight, as Piastri had trouble changing up from first gear as he left the pits and temporarily parked in the turn one bypass before rejoining.
Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin were missing from the grid. Alonso came to a stop within an hour of the session resuming at turn four, triggering a red flag, and did not return to the track.
Pre-season test three, day two results
| Pos. | Car number | Driver | Team | Model | Best time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’32.803 | 79 | |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | MCL40 | 1’32.861 | 0.058 | 86 |
| 3 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | RB22 | 1’33.162 | 0.359 | 139 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’33.408 | 0.605 | 78 |
| 5 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | MCL40 | 1’33.453 | 0.650 | 72 |
| 6 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | A526 | 1’33.818 | 1.015 | 120 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’33.987 | 1.184 | 73 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’34.111 | 1.308 | 77 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | VF-26 | 1’34.201 | 1.398 | 58 |
| 10 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 03 | 1’34.532 | 1.729 | 106 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | FW48 | 1’34.555 | 1.752 | 117 |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’35.263 | 2.460 | 29 |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | VF-26 | 1’35.279 | 2.476 | 69 |
| 14 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1’35.369 | 2.566 | 50 | |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | AMR26 | 1’37.472 | 4.669 | 68 |
| 16 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1’40.193 | 7.390 | 58 |
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula 1
- Norris sets new benchmark as Ferrari debuts novel rear wing design in test
- Pictures: 2026 F1 pre-season test three day one: Bahrain
- Russell pips Piastri on day one as F1 tests revised starting procedure
- No immediate, major change to 2026 car rules after drivers’ criticism – FIA
- FIA plans to tackle F1 power unit row by introducing new rule at summer break
