2026 F1 Bahrain Pre Season Test 1: Day 1 Results

Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished the first public day of Formula 1 testing in 2026 fastest at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The McLaren driver set a benchmark time of a 1:34.669s to end the day 0.129s faster than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari.

But as usual when it comes to F1 testing, times are largely unrepresentative and should be taken with a pinch of salt as teams gather data for correlation between cars on-track and the factory, completing various tests for the aerodynamics, chassis, and power units.

Suiting up for an MCL40 business meeting 👔😏#McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/XUpbRJ1YgU
— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team 🧡 (@McLarenF1) February 11, 2026

Aero rakes, flow-vis paint and constant speed tests aplenty surrounded what looked to be some tentative performance runs as teams attempt to make sense of the new regulations - not least the intricate battery management needed with the new power units that are running with almost 50:50 internal combustion to electrical output, as well as 100 percent sustainable fuels for the first time.

The top two in the 2025 standings were some way clear of the rest, for what it's worth, on the first day with Leclerc in a lonely third.

Esteban Ocon continued Haas' promising on-track display carried over from Barcelona to add more laps to his pre-season tally, setting the fourth-fastest lap. Oscar Piastri's best time of the morning was good enough to be fifth and the last of those within a second of teammate Norris' time.

Esteban Ocon, Haas, 2026 F1 pre-season testing — Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team

Mercedes' power unit continues to be a major talking point, but that didn't stop George Russell and Kimi Antonelli from pounding around, finishing the day sixth and 11th.

Lewis Hamilton suffered a spin during his morning in the SF-26 and was seventh quickest, with Pierre Gasly eighth for Alpine.

Audi was ninth and 15th thanks to Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, though the veteran German driver lost some track time after grinding to a halt during one of his runs to trigger one of two red flags for the day. The team has, however, turned heads with an aggressive new aerodynamic profile.

Audi's new sidepods have caught the eye 👀#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/wMaEpddci2
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 11, 2026

The other was caused by Franco Colapinto, who also stopped on-track in the Alpine. The Argentine was the slowest of the 18 drivers who drove on Wednesday.

Williams made its first appearance of the year, having missed the Barcelona shakedown entirely, and began its recovery mission with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz sharing driving duties - the former ending the day 10th and his Spanish teammate 13th.

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad took the VCARB03 for a full day of running and was 12th, while Cadillac gave both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas track time as they finished 14th and 16th on its first run in public as an F1 team.

Lance Stroll enjoyed a full day in the Aston Martin, finishing 17th fastest.

2026 F1 Pre-Season Testing: Bahrain Week 1, Day 1 Results

Position	Driver / Team	Gap [s]
1	Lando Norris / McLaren	1:34.669
2	Max Verstappen / Red Bull	+0.129
3	Charles Leclerc / Ferrari	+0.521
4	Esteban Ocon / Haas	+0.909
5	Oscar Piastri / McLaren	+0.933
6	George Russell / Mercedes	+1.439
7	Lewis Hamilton / Ferrari	+1.764
8	Pierre Gasly / Alpine	+2.096
9	Nico Hulkenberg / Audi	+2.192
10	Alex Albon / Williams	+2.768
11	Kimi Antonelli / Mercedes	+2.960
12	Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls	+3.276
13	Carlos Sainz / Williams	+3.552
14	Sergio Perez / Cadillac	+4.159
15	Gabriel Bortoleto / Audi	+4.202
16	Valtteri Bottas / Cadillac	+4.481
17	Lance Stroll / Aston Martin	+5.214
18	Franco Colapinto / Alpine	+5.661

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