Formula 1 conducted its initial pre-season test for the 2026 season at Bahrain this week, with all 11 teams participating amid new regulation changes. Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap time, though his team faced technical issues limiting mileage. McLaren and Williams led in total distance covered.
The Bahrain test provided an early look at the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, featuring wholesale changes to the cars and power units. All 11 teams took part over three days, generating discussions on performance benchmarks and driver reactions, including Max Verstappen's frustration with the new rules.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes recorded the quickest time of 1m33.669s on Friday, 0.249s ahead of teammate George Russell, who was second fastest that day. Both Mercedes drivers set the only sub-1m34s laps. However, Mercedes encountered multiple technical problems with the W17, resulting in Antonelli completing the fewest laps overall. A notable issue occurred on the morning of day two, when a power unit failure limited him to just three laps. Despite this, Mercedes ranked second-lowest in laps completed.
Mileage proved crucial during testing, with seven drivers surpassing 200 laps: Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Oliver Bearman. McLaren and Williams topped the distance chart at 2,284km each, a strong showing for Williams after missing the Barcelona shakedown. Aston Martin managed just over 1,000km due to delays and technical troubles, placing it last among teams.
On the power unit front, Mercedes covered over 13,000km, benefiting from its use by four teams. Ferrari's customer teams averaged more than 2,000km per squad. Audi, in its F1 debut with its factory team, exceeded Red Bull's average but trailed Mercedes. Honda, supplying Aston Martin, recorded the lowest mileage among manufacturers.
