Sunday\u2019s fast-paced F1 news includes Fernando Alonso responding to Lance Stroll\u2019s claim that the Aston Martin AMR26 is lacking four seconds of performance compared to its F1 2026 rivals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s blast through the day\u2019s main headlines at breakneck speed\u2026<\/p>\n
Winners and losers from Bahrain F1 2026 testing<\/p>\n
Williams was among the big winners from the second pre-season test of F1 2026 in Bahrain, PlanetF1.com\u2019s Thomas Maher writes.<\/p>\n
However, Aston Martin was listed as one of the losers following a troubling three days in which Lance Stroll claimed the AMR26 was more than four seconds off the pace.<\/p>\n
The third and final winter test begins in Sakhir on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0Winners and losers from the first Bahrain test<\/a><\/p>\n Fernando Alonso estimates true Aston Martin deficit after Lance Stroll claim<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso says it is \u201cdifficult to know\u201d how far behind Aston Martin is at this early stage of the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n And he claimed that the team could \u201cunlock seconds\u201d of performance just by optimising the Honda-powered AMR26 car.<\/p>\n Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey admitted ahead of Bahrain testing that the team \u201cstarted from behind\u201d with the AMR26, claiming delays in getting the car in the wind tunnel last year \u201cput us on the back foot by about four months.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0Alonso responds after Stroll claims Aston Martin \u2018needs four seconds of performance\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Fernando Alonso data confirms sizeable deficit with F1 2026 cars<\/p>\n Telemetry data from Fernando Alonso\u2019s Aston Martin has revealed that the new F1 2026 cars are a massive 50km\/h slower at the apex of Turn 12 than the 2025 machines.<\/p>\n The new F1 2026 cars have received a lukewarm response so far following F1\u2019s move to 50 per cent electrification.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com data analyst\u00a0Uros Radovanovic found similar concerns in the data of Lando Norris\u2019s McLaren and Charles Leclerc\u2019s Ferrari.<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0Eye-opening Fernando Alonso telemetry data as 50km\/h speed deficit emerges<\/a><\/p>\n George Russell hints at Ferrari advantage in F1 2026 race starts<\/p>\n Mercedes driver George Russell says Ferrari could have an advantage in race start in F1 2026, with the team\u2019s use of higher gears suggesting the SF-26 has a smaller turbo than rival engine manufacturers.<\/p>\n Race starts have emerged as a hot topic this week amid calls for a prolonged start procedure following the removal of the MGU-H \u2013 a key component in minimising turbo lag \u2013 for 2026.<\/p>\n Ferrari has historically completed with a smaller turbo than its competitors.<\/p>\n