Formula 1 News: Leclerc leads Norris and Bearman on second day of Bahrain sandbagging

With sandbagging the order of the day, Charles Leclerc (pictured) put Ferrari at the top of the timesheets on the second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, posting a benchmark 1m34.273s on soft tires during the morning session.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The Monegasque driver’s time stood unbeaten through the afternoon as the desert heat gave way to cooler night conditions, leaving him 0.511 seconds clear of reigning world champion Lando Norris and over a second ahead of Haas rookie Ollie Bearman. Norris also recorded the fastest time of the day on the C1 (hard) compound, stopping the clock at 1m35.795s in the superior Rob Marshall designed McLaren MCL40.

Both Leclerc and Norris completed full-day programs, racking up significant mileage in the new 2026 machinery. Norris, who topped Day 1, added another 149 laps—the most of anyone—while running on medium compound tires in the morning before shifting to longer-run simulations. Bearman impressed once again for Haas, completing 130 laps and slotting into third with a 1m35.394s on softs.

For most of the session, teams focused on set-up runs, but there were also some significant stints that, due to their length, could be representative of race conditions. Racing Bulls completed a 22-lap run on C1, Cadillac managed 19 laps on C2, and Ferrari completed 19 laps on C3.

Reliability Woes Disrupt Key Teams

The day was not without drama. Three red flags interrupted the afternoon session: Valtteri Bottas lost part of his Cadillac’s right-hand mirror, which nearly collected Carlos Sainz’s Williams; Pierre Gasly brought out another stoppage when his Alpine halted at Turn 1; and a final red flag tested race procedures late in the day.

Mercedes and Red Bull both faced early setbacks. Rookie Kimi Antonelli managed just three laps in the morning before a power unit issue sidelined the Mercedes for much of the session. George Russell took over in the afternoon and delivered a solid 1m35.466s to finish fourth, though the team’s total running remained limited. With the threat of an FIA ban of their illegal engine, Mercedes does not want to show that they are superior.

Max Verstappen on Toto Wolff saying their engine trick is only worth 1-2 HP “Add a zero to the end. Even more than that. But I understand what they’re trying to do….they’re drawing attention to us.”

“Just wait for Melbourne and see how fast they are on the straights. I already know.”

At Red Bull, newly promoted driver Isack Hadjar was restricted to a single lap in the morning due to a hydraulic leak. He recovered strongly in the afternoon, posting the fifth-fastest time (1m36.561s) and completing 87 laps overall.

Mileage and Long-Run Focus

As is typical in pre-season testing, lap times came with the usual caveats — teams ran different programs, tire compounds, and fuel loads. The real story was mileage and system evaluation in the radical new 2026 “Frankenstein” cars.

– Top mileage: McLaren (149 laps by Norris)
– Ferrari followed closely with Leclerc’s 139 laps
– Racing Bulls (133), Williams (131), and Haas (130) also passed the century mark

Teams that split driving duties — including Mercedes, Audi, Cadillac, and Williams — naturally posted lower individual totals, but the overall focus remained on gathering data rather than chasing headline lap times.

Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth and 10th, while Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), and Alex Albon (Williams) rounded out the top nine. Further back, Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson showed solid pace for Racing Bulls, Carlos Sainz continued his adaptation at Williams, and Fernando Alonso logged strong mileage (98 laps) for Aston Martin despite finishing 14th.

2026 Bahrain Preseason Test Day 2 Results

With one more day of testing remaining in Bahrain before the teams head to Australia for the season opener, the focus will continue to be on refining these complex new cars and resolving early reliability gremlins.

What are your early impressions of the 2026 field after two days in Bahrain?