Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris at the top of the timesheet on the second day of Formula 1’s pre-season test in Bahrain as their rivals Mercedes and Red Bull suffered technical issues.
After Norris had set the pace on the first of the three days of track action at the Bahrain International Circuit, Leclerc lowered the event’s benchmark time by almost four tenths on Thursday as he produced a 1:34.273s lap during the morning session.
Norris’ best time was half a second off Leclerc and a tenth slower than his best effort from a day earlier, but perhaps more crucially, both the McLaren and Ferrari enjoyed another smooth day of running as F1 continued an extended pre-season schedule designed to give teams the opportunity to adapt to the introduction of new power unit and chassis regulations for the 2026 season.
With both drivers running for the full day, Norris completed 149 laps, with Leclerc managing 139 as he performed a full race simulation in the afternoon session.
Mercedes and Red Bull, who have caught the eye more than the other two members of F1’s ‘big four’ so far during pre-season – which began with a shakedown in Barcelona last month – were both hit by issues.
Kimi Antonelli failed to set a time for Mercedes in the morning session as a power-unit issue limited him to just three singular circuits during the morning session, while a hydraulic leak meant Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar only made it out for a sole installation lap just before the lunch break.
Both were able to recover in the afternoon, with George Russell completing 54 laps and claiming fourth on the timesheet after replacing Antonelli, while Hadjar amassed 87 laps on a productive afternoon.
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Max Verstappen reflects on the Red Bull’s running during Bahrain pre-season testing, getting an impressive number of laps under his belt
While their afternoon recoveries suggested Mercedes and Red Bull were able to overcome their issues, Ferrari’s perfect reliability record to this point can only be helping their attempts to fine-tune the SF-26, which will be driven by Lewis Hamilton on Friday as the event draws to a close.
McLaren, who are seeking a third successive Constructors’ Championship and have the reigning world champion in Norris, have also been very consistent since suffering an early issue in Barcelona.
After eight more hours of running on Friday, another three-day test follows in Bahrain from February 18-20, before the season begins with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8.
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1’s Bahrain Testing schedule
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Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz looks closer at how F1 in 2026 will look as the sport starts a new era of recharge mode, more electric power, new teams and engine suppliers
Test One: Friday 13th February
- 3pm: Final hour of track running Live
- 8pm: Testing Wrap
- 8.30pm: Ted’s Testing Notebook
Test Two: Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th February
- 6.50am-11.05am: Morning session Live
- 11.55am-4.10pm: Afternoon session Live
- 8pm: Testing Wrap
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
