F1 Bahrain testing: Charles Leclerc tops Lando Norris as Ferrari and McLaren impress while Red Bull and Mercedes suffer technical issues
Charles Leclerc topped Lando Norris as Ferrari and McLaren both had a strong day; Red Bull and Mercedes were hit by technical issues; watch the 3-4pm hour on each day of the first Bahrain test live on Sky Sports F1 before full coverage of the February 18-20 second test
Thursday 12 February 2026 17:51, UK
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.
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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.
Leclerc, who completed his running for the week, said: "We've completed the programme without issues, which is always a positive.
"It's always nice to look at the lap times, but in testing they don't really mean much: the focus has to stay on ourselves and our work.
"The feeling in the car is okay, but it's still very early days. Today was about putting in as many laps as possible and completing all the tests we had planned. Now we keep working and continue building step by step."
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.
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.
Three red flags disrupt running as Stroll airs Aston Martin pace concern
With all-but Red Bull and Mercedes completing over 90 laps, Thursday's running proved largely productive for most of the 11-team grid.
However, the day still featured three red flags for on-track incidents.
The new Cadillac team caused two of the stoppages - one in the morning when Sergio Perez stopped on track, and a second in the afternoon for debris when the car's wing mirror fell off while Valtteri Bottas was driving.
But the all-new outfit's time off track proved brief on both occasions, with Perez and Bottas combining to put 107 laps on the Ferrari-engined challenger.
Alpine had looked set to be the first team to reach a Day Two century with Pierre Gasly, but they finished three short on 97 laps after the Frenchman was told to stop the car on precautionary grounds midway through the afternoon after the team spotted an anomaly in the data. Gasly did not return to the track.
Aston Martin, meanwhile, completed their most laps yet in a single day with their first Adrian Newey-designed car as Fernando Alonso's first outing of the week saw the Spaniard rack up 98 laps.
Although Aston Martin have said they are still learning about what is also their first Honda-engined challenger, Alonso's quickest effort was four seconds off Leclerc's benchmark and team-mate Lance Stroll, who drove the car on Wednesday, said during the day: "I mean, right now we look like we're four seconds off the top teams, four and a half seconds.
"[It's] impossible to know what fuel loads and everything people are running, but, yeah, now we need to try and find four seconds of performance, so we'll see."
Sky Sports F1's Bahrain Testing schedule
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
