Formula 1, Sportrik Media - The second and final 2026 Formula 1 pre-season test takes place this week at the Bahrain International Circuit, with several major questions still unanswered ahead of the new season.
After the opening three days of running, a number of key talking points emerged, ranging from the competitive order to drivers’ enjoyment of the new cars, as well as safety concerns. With only three days of testing remaining before the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix on March 8, teams have entered a crucial phase of final preparations.
Deciphering the competitive order for 2026 remains extremely difficult. Headline lap times from the first Bahrain test suggested Mercedes could be the team to beat, but pre-season times are often misleading due to unknown variables such as fuel loads and engine modes.
Interestingly, each team has pointed to a rival as the favourite. Mercedes has labelled Red Bull Racing the benchmark, while Red Bull believes it sits behind Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren. Ferrari, meanwhile, considers Red Bull and Mercedes to be ahead, and McLaren has suggested it is trailing Ferrari and Mercedes, and possibly even Red Bull.
In race simulations, Ferrari emerged as the quickest team during the first test. However, the true competitive picture may only become clearer during the second test, and even then, it could change significantly when the championship moves to Melbourne, a circuit with very different characteristics.
On the other hand, some teams already appear to be struggling. Aston Martin has endured a difficult start, admitting it is beginning 2026 on the back foot. The team has completed the fewest laps from the Barcelona shakedown through the first week in Bahrain, despite Williams missing the entire Barcelona test due to build delays.
Aston Martin has openly acknowledged it is “clearly behind” the front-runners, while Lance Stroll suggested the AMR26 could be as much as four seconds off the pace. At present, the team appears to be at the rear of the field alongside new entrant Cadillac.
The situation has drawn particular attention given the expectations surrounding Aston Martin, including the arrival of legendary designer Adrian Newey and a works engine partnership with Honda.
Beyond performance, technical politics have also become a major storyline. A power unit dispute has centred on compression ratio limits, with rival teams suspecting Mercedes of finding a way to exceed the regulatory threshold and gain a performance advantage.
The debate has involved intense discussions between the FIA and the five F1 power unit manufacturers: Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Powertrains, Honda, and Audi. A potential rule change could even be introduced before the season-opening race in Australia if the issue is not resolved.
Safety concerns regarding start procedures have also emerged. Without the MGU-H in the new engines, drivers must run higher engine revs to overcome turbo lag, raising fears of chaotic or dangerous scenarios at race starts. McLaren has been among the teams pushing for a rule change, although a previous attempt was reportedly blocked by Ferrari.
With performance, political, and safety questions still ongoing, the final Bahrain test will represent a crucial phase before the 2026 Formula 1 season officially begins in Australia.
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