George Russell put Mercedes back on top as the first day of the final pre-season test came to a close in Bahrain, setting the fastest time seen so far this year at the track.

However there was almost nothing to choose between him and Oscar Piastri, who was second fastest for McLaren. The pair were separated by just a hundredth of a second at the top of the times.

The day’s running concluded with a test of the FIA’s new procedure for race starts. Due to concerns over some cars potentially making very slow getaways, race control opted to trial a new sequence including a five-second pre-start warning. All 11 cars lined up on the grid and pulled away without drama.

After diagnosing a problem with their Honda power unit, Aston Martin made a delayed start to the second part of the day’s test. After Lance Stroll joined the track he experienced an apparent problem with his car as he braked into turn 11. He spun and came to a halt in a gravel trap, triggering red flags.

Isack Hadjar had a more productive second half of the test after completing just 13 laps earlier on. He was the only driver to spend the entire day in his car, as all the other teams swapped during the lunch break.

Piastri took the top time off Charles Leclerc just before the two-hour mark in the second part of the test. Russell edged him out of the top spot with less than half an hour remaining, setting a 1’33.459, 3.6 seconds off last year’s pole position time.

2026 pre-season test three, day one results

Pos. Car number Driver Team Model Best time Gap Laps
1 63 George Russell Mercedes W17 1’33.459 76
2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL40 1’33.469 0.010 70
3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-26 1’33.739 0.280 70
4 1 Lando Norris McLaren MCL40 1’34.052 0.593 54
5 12 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes W17 1’34.158 0.699 69
6 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull RB22 1’34.260 0.801 66
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari SF-26 1’34.299 0.840 44
8 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Williams FW48 1’35.113 1.654 55
9 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine A526 1’35.254 1.795 60
10 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi R26 1’35.263 1.804 71
11 23 Alexander Albon Williams FW48 1’35.690 2.231 55
12 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 03 1’35.753 2.294 61
13 87 Oliver Bearman Haas VF-26 1’35.778 2.319 42
14 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine A526 1’35.898 2.439 61
15 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR26 1’35.974 2.515 26
16 31 Esteban Ocon Haas VF-26 1’36.418 2.959 65
17 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin AMR26 1’36.536 3.077 28
18 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi R26 1’36.741 3.282 49
19 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 03 1’36.769 3.310 75
20 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1’36.798 3.339 35
21 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1’38.191 4.732 24

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles