Mercedes – George Russell
Red Bull – Max Verstappen
Ferrari – Charles Leclerc
Racing Bulls – Arvid Lindblad
Aston Martin – Lance Stroll
Cadillac – Valtteri Bottas
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 12:13
The likes of Max Verstappen and George Russell are back in the cockpit for the final session of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
One final 4-hour window….
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 12:00
Johnny Herbert makes 2026 F1 predictions
“I’m going to obviously go with George Russell to win the championship,” Herbert said, in association with Snabbare. “Then Max Verstappen, followed by Oscar Piastri.
“It would be brilliant to see Max and George go wheel-to-wheel. It’s going to be mighty, mighty tight between Oscar and Lando. Oscar is going to learn from the experience of last year.
“Motivation can be such a powerful thing and that’s why I’ve gone for Oscar because Oscar will be applying himself more than he did last year and has a point to prove.”
Johnny Herbert (Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 11:45
Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:33:689 (80 laps)
Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.227 (49)
Piastri (McLaren) +0.663 (66)
Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.822 (59)
Gasly (Alpine) +1.157 (57)
Lindblad (RB) +1.549 (77)
Sainz (Williams) +1.563 (66)
Hulkenberg (Audi) +2.330 (64)
Perez (Cadillac) +7.153 (61)
Stroll (Aston Martin) no time (2)
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 11:23
A really productive morning for the Ferrari driver.
He takes the fastest time this morning with a 1:33:689, 0.227 secs ahead of Kimi Antonelli in second – who had an issue midway through the session.
Oscar Piastri is third, 0.663 secs off, with Esteban Ocon (+0.805) and Isack Hadjar (+1.157) completing the top-five.
Ferrari have impressed so far during pre-season testing (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 11:10
A fair bit of a gap between all three cars but they all move off smoothly – no daring overtakes like yesterday from Lewis Hamilton!
And that’s your lot for the morning session!
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 11:04
Only three cars in for practice start
Ocon, Hadjar and Piastri are the only cars lining up for the new practice start procedure at the end of the session.
Interesting – you’d have thought as many drivers as possible would like to practice with the new ‘five-second blue warning’ light.
Let’s see how this one goes…
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 10:59
One solitary lap for Stroll, as he finally leaves the garage this morning.
It’s been a tumultuous testing period for Aston Martin – and a new blow today with the news that engine partner Honda can’t support long runs at the moment…
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 10:46
NEWS: Stefano Domenicali hints at return of much-loved F1 race for 2027: ‘Stay tuned’
The popular race at Istanbul Park has not been on the sport’s schedule since 2021, when Valtteri Bottas won the grand prix in wet conditions. In total, there have been nine events at the 14-turn circuit, with its debut race back in 2005.
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 10:29
Charles Leclerc leads the way on lap count
Top of the leaderboard with less than an hour to go – and top of the lap count too!
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 64Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 57Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 50Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 49Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 49Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 49Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 48Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – 38Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 38Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – 29Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 0
Kieran Jackson20 February 2026 10:12