Kimi Antonelli continued Mercedes’ impressive performance by topping the timesheets in F1’s final pre-season test of 2026, as Ferrari faced further disruption on Lewis Hamilton’s final day of track before the Australian Grand Prix.
After Mercedes teammate George Russell set the fastest time on the first day of the last of F1’s three pre-season events, Antonelli clocked a further 1m32.803s in the evening session at the Bahrain International Circuit, a further six tenths six seconds below the benchmark.
This placed him in second place, 0.058 seconds behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a further three tenths behind in third place, with the pair setting their best times early in the afternoon session and focusing on race simulation for the rest of the day.
Hamilton was on track alongside the top three in the evening’s cooler, faster conditions, but made a series of mistakes during his final qualifying simulation attempt of the day and finished 60ths off the pace in fourth place.
Before that, Hamilton was limited to just five laps in the morning session, with his run interrupted by technical problems for the second day in a row.
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On the second day of testing in Bahrain, Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin stopped on track, resulting in a red flag.
The seven-time world champion completed an uneventful 73 laps in the afternoon, but with teammate Charles Leclerc scheduled to drive all day on Friday, Hamilton’s pre-season ended in poor fashion after Ferrari enjoyed perfect reliability in the first two events.
Ferrari lost out to the other ‘Big Four’ members in mileage, while Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull all ran throughout the day without any major problems.
Antonelli and Russell completed a total of 156 laps for Mercedes, Piastri and Lando Norris completed a total of 164 laps for McLaren, while Verstappen completed both sessions for Red Bull, completing 139 laps.
Ferrari also attracted attention in the morning after its rear wing flipped 180 degrees when Hamilton used active aero on the main straight. In theory, this would reduce drag before returning to its normal position in corners, but it is understood that Ferrari was simply testing it rather than making it a permanent feature.
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Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton got off to a great start on the second day of testing in Bahrain.
However, there was some encouragement for Ferrari with Hamilton’s impressive escape at the start of practice at the end of each session as the FIA continues to trial an extended start procedure aimed at giving drivers more time to prepare their engines.
Elsewhere, Aston Martin’s poor start to the year continued as a power unit issue forced Fernando Alonso to stop on track, with the Spaniard sitting out the final three hours of the day.
Sky Sports F1 Bahrain test schedule
Friday, February 20th
6:50am to 11:05am: Morning session live 11:55am to 4:10pm: Afternoon session live 8pm: Test lap
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, including the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
