Both Red Bull and Aston Martin have suffered major reliability issues on the first morning of F1’s second pre-season Bahrain test.
Isack Hadjar’s running in the RB22 has been limited due to a water leak in his Red Bull Powertrains engine, limiting him to just 13 laps as the team try to fix the problem and get him back out to complete his full day in the car.
READ MORE: Red Bull and Aston Martin suffer major problems in Bahrain F1 test
Red Bull send strong message over unhappy Max Verstappen concerns
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache insists it is not his “goal” to make Max Verstappen “happy” after the Dutchman’s fierce criticism of the new F1 regulations.
The Dutchman has been particularly outspoken on the changes to the power unit side of the rulebook, blasting the new era as “anti-racing” and branding it “Formula E on steroids” due to the extreme levels of energy management required.
READ MORE: Red Bull send strong message over unhappy Max Verstappen concerns
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F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season 2nd Test – Day 1 full results
Mercedes continued where it left off from last week’s first test in Bahrain by finishing the opening day of the second and final test with the leading time.
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell concluded the three days at the Bahrain International Circuit with the headline times, and it was the British driver who was quickest on day one of this week’s test.
READ MORE: F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season 2nd Test – Day 1 full results
Mercedes raise F1 testing benchmark as Aston Martin woes worsen
Mercedes raised the benchmark on the opening day of the second test in Bahrain after George Russell went quickest.
The Briton set a 1:33.459 lap — the fastest seen at the Bahrain International Circuit — two tenths quicker than anything recorded during last week’s three days of running.
READ MORE: Mercedes raise F1 testing benchmark as Aston Martin woes worsen
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Max Verstappen tells FIA what it needs to ‘get rid of’ to improve F1
Max Verstappen believes the FIA must “get rid” of the battery systems in F1 and avoid convergence with Formula E.
Last week, Verstappen launched an astonishing attack on F1’s new 2026 rules, where the new power units produce their power via a 50-50 split between internal combustion and battery power, with the new systems featuring 350kw of energy, up from 120kw in 2025.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen tells FIA what it needs to ‘get rid of’ to improve F1
F1 set for critical vote over major rule change
Formula 1 is set for a critical vote over changing the rules mid-season regarding the measuring of engine compression ratio.Â
Over the winter, it was revealed that Mercedes HPP had developed an engine, which, when running hot, could produce a compression ratio of 18:1, exceeding the limit of 16:1.