Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets for Mercedes on the final day of the first 2026 Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain, ahead of teammate George Russell. The 19-year-old's 1m33.669s lap was 0.249s quicker than Russell's morning benchmark, marking the only sub-1m34s times of the week. Lewis Hamilton set the third-fastest time for Ferrari before a late mechanical issue ended his session early.
The third day of testing at Bahrain International Circuit saw Mercedes dominate the leaderboard, reinforcing perceptions of the team as a championship favorite under the 2026 regulations. Antonelli, recovering from a power unit problem that limited him to three laps on Thursday, took over the W17 after lunch and improved on Russell's 1m33.918s with his best effort on soft tires.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was the quickest non-Mercedes runner with a 1m34.209s in the morning, 0.291s off Russell's pace. His day concluded prematurely when he stopped at Turn 8, suspected to be due to a fuel loss, triggering a red flag with 10 minutes remaining. Despite a brief resumption, Hamilton's position held as Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) followed in fourth and fifth with 1m34.549s and 1m35.341s, respectively—both set in the afternoon.
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) was sixth at 1m35.610s, ahead of Esteban Ocon (Haas), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Oliver Bearman (Haas), and Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) in the top 10. Mileage proved crucial, with Piastri logging the most laps at 161, followed by Hamilton (150), Colapinto (144), and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) at 119. McLaren led team totals, ahead of Ferrari (likely around 300 combined, though exact not specified), Williams (146), Haas (145), Alpine (144), and Mercedes (139).
Challenges persisted for newcomers: Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas caused the first red flag with a cooling issue an hour into the morning, limiting the team to 105 laps after a two-hour delay. Aston Martin managed only 72 laps due to an unspecified problem sidelining Lance Stroll for much of the afternoon.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff downplayed favoritism claims, stating Red Bull as the benchmark. This test concludes the first of two Bahrain sessions, with the next from February 18-20 before the March opener in Melbourne.
