Charles Leclerc took the lead with a blistering lap on the final day of F1 pre-season testing, underscoring Ferrari’s status as a genuine contender for the opening round of 2026.
Leclerc was 0.879 seconds faster than second place Lando Norris. He could find himself at a disadvantage at the start of his title defense when the season begins with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
Ferrari opted to run Leclerc throughout Friday, with Lewis Hamilton watching from the garage, but the Monaco driver was also impressed by the final day’s race simulation.
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Sky Sports’ Craig Slater and Nigel Chiu assess the F1 hierarchy after the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Max Verstappen was third, 1.117 seconds behind Leclerc, and George Russell was 1.205 seconds off the Ferrari’s pace, but most in the paddock still see Mercedes as favorites to win the first race in Melbourne.
Verstappen looked to be pushing hard but didn’t have Leclerc’s lap pace, while Russell was three tenths slower than Kimi Antonelli’s best time for Mercedes at the Bahrain test on Thursday. This suggested that they were dragging their feet.
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Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes had no energy coming out of Turn 10 and was unable to start the car again, resulting in a red flag.
Antonelli ran in the morning session but was limited to 66 laps due to low air pressure in his engine, which required Mercedes to replace the power unit, which cost the Italian teenager more than two and a half hours.
Although they were able to get Russell on track relatively early, he probably failed to show the car’s true potential midway through completing 82 laps.
Aston Martin is in the midst of a nightmare after Fernando Alonso’s battery-related problems on Thursday caused Lance Stroll to fail to record a lap time after just six laps. This is because engine supplier Honda’s power unit parts were restricted.
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On the second day of testing in Bahrain, a red flag was brought out after Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin stopped on track.
Mercedes vs Ferrari in Melbourne?
Leclerc’s impressive final day certainly fueled the hype surrounding F1’s famous red team ahead of Melbourne, but no one came close to his qualifying simulation.
However, long-run pace and race simulations are the best way to determine standings from testing, as teams may not be revving their engines to full capacity or carrying more fuel per lap.
This may still be the case to some extent on long runs, but Ferrari was quick in both Bahrain tests during their race stints, and Leclerc ran a full race simulation on Friday during the hottest part of the day, which was not far from the best race simulation in this week’s tests.
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Join Charles Leclerc as he sets fastest lap at Bahrain Test 2
Ferrari’s rivals would have noticed Leclerc’s statement run, given the high track temperatures and reduced track speeds.
Leclerc, who has been with Ferrari since 2019, said: “The test day was very smooth. We executed the program and tested everything we had planned.”
“In terms of performance, it is still difficult to understand where we really stand as the team hides their true selves, so it is important not to focus too much on lap times and prepare for the first race.
“We’ll build in stages and try to understand how to get the most out of the car. There’s a lot of data to analyze before we get to Melbourne and we’ll see how things go once we get there.”
The other ‘big four’ teams, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull, did not complete their race simulations on Friday, but showed potential on other days. Mercedes set the best time over the long run, but Red Bull appears to be behind McLaren and definitely Ferrari.
Behind them, Alpine and Haas will lead the midfield, with Racing Bulls, Audi and Williams forming the back midfield.
Aston Martin and Cadillac are battling to stay out of last place, with the former hoping to get through the opening round without incident given an unreliable preseason.
Perhaps fittingly, the test ended with a final practice start, with Russell starting from pole position and Leclerc from fifth on the grid in the second car.
Ferrari is off to a rocket start this week thanks to its small turbo, but this time Russell held off Leclerc in Turn 1. This may have been a snapshot of what will happen at the season opener in Melbourne on March 8th.
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