George Russell put Mercedes back on top as the first day of the final pre-season test came to a close in Bahrain, setting the fastest time seen so far this year at the track.
However there was almost nothing to choose between him and Oscar Piastri, who was second fastest for McLaren. The pair were separated by just a hundredth of a second at the top of the times.
The day’s running concluded with a test of the FIA’s new procedure for race starts. Due to concerns over some cars potentially making very slow getaways, race control opted to trial a new sequence including a five-second pre-start warning. All 11 cars lined up on the grid and pulled away without drama.
After diagnosing a problem with their Honda power unit, Aston Martin made a delayed start to the second part of the day’s test. After Lance Stroll joined the track he experienced an apparent problem with his car as he braked into turn 11. He spun and came to a halt in a gravel trap, triggering red flags.
Isack Hadjar had a more productive second half of the test after completing just 13 laps earlier on. He was the only driver to spend the entire day in his car, as all the other teams swapped during the lunch break.
Piastri took the top time off Charles Leclerc just before the two-hour mark in the second part of the test. Russell edged him out of the top spot with less than half an hour remaining, setting a 1’33.459, 3.6 seconds off last year’s pole position time.
2026 pre-season test three, day one results
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