F1, Sportrik Media - Kimi Antonelli ensured Mercedes remained at the head of the field on day two of the second F1 2026 Bahrain test at the Bahrain International Circuit. The session was interrupted by a red flag after Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin suffered a mechanical stoppage.
Having concluded last week’s running with a 1-2 result, Mercedes maintained its early advantage as George Russell led Wednesday’s action before Antonelli set the fastest lap of the pre-season so far. Taking over driving duties in the afternoon, the Italian completed 79 laps and produced a 1:32.803 during a late time-attack simulation.
Oscar Piastri briefly moved to the top for McLaren with a 1:32.861, displacing team-mate Lando Norris, who had led the morning session with a 1:33.453 across 72 laps. Piastri experienced a temporary stoppage at Turn 1 following practice start procedures but was able to resume his programme without further issues.
Max Verstappen placed third for Red Bull with a 1:33.162, completing 138 laps in a data-intensive programme focused on long-run correlation. Behind him, Lewis Hamilton guided Ferrari to fourth with a 1:33.408 after recovering from a chassis-related disruption earlier in the day.
Franco Colapinto secured sixth for Alpine, while Nico Hulkenberg was the leading Audi driver in seventh. Russell, Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) rounded out the top ten. The afternoon session was red-flagged inside the opening hour when Alonso stopped at Turn 4, ending his day with 68 laps and 15th position.
Testing concludes on Friday from 07:00 GMT, marking the final opportunity for teams to refine their 2026 packages ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | Kimi AntonelliMercedes | 1:32.803 Italy | |
2 |  | Oscar PiastriMcLaren | 1:32.861 Australia | |
3 |  | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 1:33.162 Netherlands | |
4 |  | Lewis HamiltonFerrari | 1:33.408 United Kingdom | |
5 |  | Lando NorrisMcLaren | 1:33.453 United Kingdom | |
6 |  | Franco ColapintoAlpine | 1:33.818 Argentina | |
7 |  | Nico HulkenbergAudi | 1:33.987 Germany | |
8 |  | George RussellMercedes | 1:34.111 United Kingdom | |
9 |  | Esteban OconHaas | 1:34.201 France | |
10 |  | Liam LawsonRacing Bulls | 1:34.532 New Zealand | |
11 |  | Alexander AlbonWilliams | 1:34.555 Thailand | |
12 |  | Gabriel BortoletoAudi | 1:35.263 Brazil | |
13 |  | Oliver BearmanHaas | 1:35.279 United Kingdom | |
14 |  | Sergio PérezCadillac | 1:35.369 Meksiko | |
15 |  | Fernando AlonsoAston Martin | 1:37.472 Spain | |
16 |  | Valtteri BottasCadillac | 1:40.193 Finlandia | |
17 |  | Isack HadjarRed Bull | Prancis | |
18 |  | Pierre GaslyAlpine | France | |
19 |  | Charles LeclercFerrari | Monaco | |
20 |  | Lance StrollAston Martin | Canada | |
21 |  | Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls | Inggris | |
22 |  | Carlos SainzWilliams | Spain |
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