F1, Sportrik Media - Charles Leclerc set the pace on the final morning of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain for Ferrari, while Aston Martin endured another disrupted session amid ongoing power unit concerns. Leclerc posted a 1:33.689 and completed 80 laps during the four-hour outing.
The Monegasque driver will return to the cockpit of the SF-26 for the final afternoon session before the paddock departs for Melbourne and the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. His benchmark time underlined Ferrari’s consistent late-test form as teams finalised their preparations.
In contrast, Lance Stroll only appeared on track with 18 minutes remaining in the morning session after being confined to the garage while Honda investigated persistent power unit issues. The Canadian did not record a representative lap time. The AMR26 has shown signs of being down on power and lacking reliability throughout pre-season, alongside questions surrounding its early aerodynamic concept.
Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli continued his strong showing from earlier in the week with Mercedes. After holding second place in the early stages, his W17 stopped midway through his 50th lap, triggering a red flag. The team later confirmed a loss of pneumatic pressure requiring a power unit change. George Russell is scheduled to take over for the afternoon session once the replacement is completed.
Oscar Piastri finished the morning third for McLaren, continuing a steady programme for the MCL40. Esteban Ocon recorded the highest lap count of the session with 82, reflecting a focus on long-run data accumulation.
For Red Bull, Isack Hadjar secured fifth place and added 59 laps after a previously disrupted running schedule. Sergio Perez eventually completed 61 laps for Cadillac, though his pace was nearly five seconds adrift of the next quickest car — the Audi of Nico Hulkenberg.
The final morning of testing delivered a mix of headline lap times and renewed reliability questions. As teams transition toward race-week preparations, emphasis now shifts to long-run consistency, power unit stability, and correlation validation ahead of the opening round of the 2026 season.
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