Russell sets new 2026 track record in Bahrain to top the opening day in Bahrain

F1 Test, Sakhir, Bahrain International Circuit

George Russell ended the first day of the second 2026 pre‑season test in Bahrain with the fastest lap time, after the Mercedes driver set a benchmark of 1m 33.459s during the afternoon session.

His effort placed him narrowly ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who recorded a 1m 33.469s, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, whose morning time of 1m 33.739s remained good enough for third place.

Leclerc had initially topped the timesheets after the morning running, when he produced his 1m 33.739s lap in relatively cool conditions. As the afternoon progressed, the track surface improved and the lap times began to fall steadily. This allowed several drivers to surpass the morning benchmark, culminating in Russell’s late-session improvement that secured him the fastest time of the day.

All teams except Red Bull changed drivers for the afternoon session. Red Bull kept Isack Hadjar in the car because he had lost running earlier while the team worked on the RB22.

The afternoon began quietly, with only a few cars heading out immediately after the green light. Ollie Bearman was the first to take to the track in the Haas, and he was soon followed by Piastri and Lewis Hamilton, both of whom completed early aerodynamic evaluation runs using flow‑vis paint and aero rakes.

Approximately one hour into the session, Lance Stroll caused the only red flag of the day when he lost the rear of his Aston Martin at Turn 11 and slid into the gravel. The car had to be recovered, but the session resumed shortly afterward, allowing teams to continue their programmes with only two and a half days of testing remaining before the season begins in Australia on March 6–8.

As the sun set and the conditions became more representative of race weekend temperatures, Piastri moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1m 33.469s. His lap was three‑tenths faster than Leclerc’s morning effort and briefly looked strong enough to end the day in first place. However, Russell soon responded with his 1m 33.459s, which put him ahead by just 0.010s.

Stroll returned to the track later in the session, as Aston Martin attempted to recover mileage after Fernando Alonso had lost time earlier due to a power unit issue. Several drivers pushed harder during the final hour, with both Franco Colapinto and Russell experiencing lock‑ups as they explored the limits of their cars. Others used the opportunity to practise running in traffic by following their rivals closely.

Before the chequered flag ended the day, the FIA conducted a test of a new race‑start light procedure. All cars returned to the pit lane, completed a formation lap, then completed a second formation lap before lining up on the grid for a simulated race start.

At the conclusion of Day 1, Russell held the fastest time with his 1m 33.459s, and he also completed the highest lap count of the day with 76 laps. Piastri finished just behind him, while Leclerc remained third thanks to his morning performance. Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli completed the top five with laps set earlier in the day.

Isack Hadjar finished sixth, followed by Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, Colapinto, and Gabriel Bortoleto. Alex Albon placed eleventh, ahead of Liam Lawson, Bearman, Pierre Gasly, and Stroll. Esteban Ocon finished sixteenth for Haas, while Alonso, Nico Hülkenberg, Arvid Lindblad, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Pérez completed the classification.