F1 2026: Bahrain Pre-Season Tests Conclude, Revealing Early Contenders and Challenges Ahead

Bahrain – After six intense days of pre-season testing at the Sakhir circuit, the Formula 1 paddock departs with a clearer, yet still speculative, understanding of the competitive landscape for the upcoming 2026 season. Amidst the characteristic "fog of war" that shrouds pre-season running, the complexities of the all-new 2026 regulations, and the dynamic energy requirements of the new power units, definitive rankings remain elusive. However, several distinct trends have emerged from the desert heat, leaving some teams with significant momentum and others with considerable ground to recover before the season opener in Melbourne.

McLaren – 817 laps

The reigning World Champion, McLaren, approached the Bahrain tests aiming to optimize its understanding of the new power unit regulations. While they acknowledged being slightly behind their internal targets in this regard, a sentiment shared by several rivals, their testing programme proved robust. The MCL40, their 2026 challenger, completed an impressive 817 laps, demonstrating strong reliability with minimal major concerns. Despite the high mileage, initial assessments suggest that Mercedes and a seemingly innovative Ferrari have established a marginal advantage. McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, openly stated, "In terms of understanding the competitive order I would say that this test has confirmed that Ferrari and Mercedes look like the teams to beat. I think McLaren is not far. I think it’s good to see that we are part of the top four group but I think these two teams seem to have shown a little bit of an advantage." The team anticipates that the MCL40 arriving in Australia will be largely in the same specification as its test car, indicating a cautious start to their championship defense.

Mercedes – 741 laps

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Mercedes arrived in Bahrain widely tipped as a pre-season favourite, and their performance over the two weeks did little to diminish that perception. However, their testing was not without its challenges. The W17, while demonstrating strong underlying pace, revealed a few vulnerabilities. A pneumatic leak on the final day necessitated a full power unit change, further limiting the mileage of young Kimi Antonelli, who had already faced setbacks due to initial teething issues in the first week. Despite these reliability blips, the consensus within the paddock is that Mercedes remains the team to beat on outright pace. Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin acknowledged the final day’s issues but highlighted the overall progress: "Despite that though, we did a good job of getting the car out relatively early in the afternoon and overall, we were able to complete a lot of useful work with both drivers. We kept the focus on set-up items and long run consistency today, which allowed us to cover quite a bit of ground." Rivals have voiced suspicions of Mercedes employing their customary pre-season "smoke and mirrors" tactics, suggesting they have yet to unleash the full potential of their power unit. The true picture is expected to emerge in Melbourne.

Red Bull – 672 laps

Red Bull’s venture into developing its first in-house power unit at Milton Keynes has defied many initial expectations, proving to be an impressive achievement. This is particularly underscored by the reliability woes experienced by their former partner, Honda, with Aston Martin. The RB22 chassis appears to be in good health, but on longer simulation runs, both Mercedes and Ferrari demonstrated a slight edge in performance. Red Bull’s pace seemed to place them within the same competitive bracket as McLaren, with the latter showing perhaps a marginally stronger long-run performance towards the close of testing. However, such small margins are well within the inherent uncertainty of pre-season data. Laurent Mekies, team principal, expressed immense pride in their power unit development: "On the power unit side, we can’t forget that three years ago where our factory was, there was just a field. We are very proud of them." He added a note of caution, acknowledging the fierce competition: "The performance shown by the top guys is stratospheric and it’s going to be a huge development race both on the chassis and PU side, but it’s what we all love." The initial fear that Red Bull’s ambitious power unit gamble might compromise Max Verstappen’s championship aspirations in 2026 appears to have been largely allayed.

Ferrari – 745 laps

The sight of the Ferrari SF-26 rapidly and reliably circulating the Bahrain International Circuit was a welcome one for the Tifosi. Ferrari garnered significant attention for its innovative aerodynamic solutions, including a novel exhaust wing and a fully rotating rear wing mainplane. While the impact of such visually striking innovations can sometimes be overstated, they signal an aggressive and imaginative approach to the new 2026 regulations. Team principal Fred Vasseur noted, "Ferrari stunned some of its rivals with a number of clever aerodynamic innovations." Charles Leclerc also recorded the fastest lap of the entire test, though it was achieved on softer tyres and with an undisclosed fuel load, making direct comparisons challenging. Nevertheless, the atmosphere within the Scuderia was noticeably buoyant, with Leclerc, often a barometer for the car’s performance, displaying an uncharacteristic optimism. Vasseur remained pragmatic, stating, "It’s very difficult to have a clear picture of performance. The most important [thing] is that the relative performance of Melbourne won’t probably be the picture at the end of the season, but I prefer to be in a good shape in Melbourne." He also praised the team’s reliability, having completed more laps than anticipated. The strong rocket starts demonstrated by the Ferrari power unit also appear to be a significant advantage.

Williams – 790 laps

Williams entered the Bahrain tests with a clear objective: to catch up on lost track time after missing the Barcelona shakedown. The Grove-based squad largely achieved this, completing 790 laps. Early indications suggest Williams is positioned towards the rear of the midfield "Europa League" group, which includes Alpine, Racing Bulls, and Haas. Team principal James Vowles confirmed the team’s efforts: "It’s great to see that across the last six days of testing, we’ve been able to complete the full programme that we wanted. That’s just a testament to the hard work of the teams, both here and in Grove, making sure that we made up for lost time." However, paddock speculation points to the FW48 carrying some additional weight, potentially hindering its immediate performance. With Haas and Alpine showing more promising form, Williams faces a substantial challenge heading into the opening races. Vowles acknowledged the work ahead: "What I know for sure, though, is we have work to do. There’s no doubt about it. We’ve put ourselves on the back foot. But my assurance to everyone is that we have an aggressive programme lining up in front of us in order to make sure that we extract as much performance in this car as possible over the forthcoming months."

Racing Bulls – 734 laps

Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls, maintained a relatively low profile throughout the Bahrain tests, neither encountering significant trouble nor setting particularly eye-catching lap times. This quiet performance positions them firmly in the midfield, mirroring their competitive standing at the close of the previous regulations era. Rookie Arvid Lindblad, alongside Liam Lawson, acquitted himself well, benefiting from the expanded winter testing programme to adapt to his maiden Formula 1 campaign. However, neither driver’s long-run pace, even on softer tyre compounds, seemed to match the likes of Alpine or Haas. Team principal Alan Permane expressed satisfaction with the progress: "Last week was productive and this week has been even better. We’ve learned a lot about the car and the power unit; both of which have run reliably all week." He also confirmed plans for early season upgrades: "The car will continue to evolve quickly, and we’ll have the first new parts arriving in Australia."

Aston Martin – 334 laps

Aston Martin’s 2026 pre-season testing was, by all accounts, a significant setback. The AMR26 completed a mere 334 laps across the six days, a stark contrast to their rivals and 252 laps fewer than even the new entrant, Cadillac. Their struggles escalated throughout the second week, beginning with a power unit issue that sidelined the car for four hours on Wednesday. This was followed by Lance Stroll’s spin into the gravel, attributed to a suspected technical fault. The team’s Thursday running was cut short by a battery-related problem, and they were unable to return to meaningful action on Friday due to a shortage of spare parts. Aston Martin team representative Pedro de la Rosa conceded, "Definitely, we are not where we wanted to be. We have been the team with [the fewest] laps during pre-season testing." He acknowledged the new regulations and partnership with Honda but stressed the need to focus on identified areas for improvement. Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, echoed these concerns: "Overall, we are not happy with our performance and our reliability at the moment." The limited mileage has severely hampered their understanding of the new regulations, placing immense pressure on both Silverstone and Sakura to rectify the issues quickly. The challenge of managing expectations for the Adrian Newey-led superteam is now paramount.

Haas – 794 laps

Haas delivered a surprisingly strong performance in Bahrain, emerging as arguably the most impressive midfield runner. Despite team principal Ayao Komatsu admitting to a frantic effort just to make the Barcelona shakedown, the VF-26 appeared relatively benign to drive and demonstrated competitive pace over both short and long stints. The team completed 794 laps, placing them behind only Mercedes in terms of overall mileage across all tests. Komatsu reflected on their efforts: "I think you have to be balanced. You always want more… But if we look at everything – a huge regulation change, hitting the track running, having a reasonably highly reliable car… I think we are ticking off the basics." This robust showing suggests Haas has reconnected with its historical strength of starting seasons strongly, a notable achievement for Formula 1’s smallest independent team.

Audi – 711 laps

Audi’s initial showing in the double Bahrain test was distinctly underwhelming, but the team made significant strides in the latter days, finding considerable performance gains on the penultimate day and continuing that momentum into Friday. Both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto demonstrated solid long-run pace, and the team’s presence surprisingly high on the timesheets allayed fears of joining the back markers. Technical Director James Key noted, "We have made significant progress. Over the past weeks we have introduced our race-spec aero package, completed race distance simulations, and carried out an extensive amount of set-up work across both chassis and power unit." He added that while areas for improvement in reliability and performance exist, they are "nothing unexpected at this stage." The conclusion of the Bahrain test has fueled hopes that Audi will be a part of the competitive midfield group rather than struggling at the back.

Alpine – 677 laps

Alpine initially appeared to be at the forefront of the aforementioned "Europa League" midfield group, though Haas’s strong finish somewhat overshadowed their performance. The A526, their 2026 challenger, seems to have been born well, completing 677 laps and indicating a solid baseline. Team principal Steve Nielsen highlighted the team’s focus: "This week in Bahrain we have really focused on pushing the car more and more across a range of conditions as we edge closer to going racing once again." While acknowledging the true competitive order will only be known in Australia, Nielsen expressed satisfaction: "Right now, though, we are pleased with our efforts in recent weeks. We have a reasonable package and a good baseline to work from, at least for the first few races of the season." With Pierre Gasly and a maturing Franco Colapinto, Alpine aims to contend for points this season, looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 campaign.

Cadillac – 586 laps

F1’s eleventh team, Cadillac, continued its pre-season journey in Bahrain much as it began in Barcelona. The team did not exhibit exceptional speed and experienced its share of teething problems, but crucially, it was consistently on track, accumulating a respectable 586 laps. While F1’s newest entrant is expected to start from a humble position, several seconds adrift of the frontrunners, their operation appears professional and diligent. Team principal Graeme Lowdon commented, "We’ve had a really productive two weeks out here in Bahrain. A few small issues here and there, just like any other Formula 1 team, but all in all we can be very happy with the progress that we’ve made." He added, "It’s a massive achievement to get to where we are now, and I’m extremely grateful and proud of everyone in the team for all their hard work." Should Aston Martin continue to struggle with reliability and spare parts, Cadillac might even avoid the last position in the early races of the 2026 season.

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Jonas Leo: Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.

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