Bahrain F1 test: Leclerc fastest on Day 2 as Aston Martin gloom descends

Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc remained quickest as the second day of 2026 Formula 1 testing in Bahrain came to a close.

Leclerc had gone fastest in the morning session with a 1:34.273sec, a time that remained the benchmark throughout the day and until the chequered flag.

The Ferrari man was one of several drivers to complete well over 100 laps on the day on his way to the quickest time, his total of 139 only bettered by world champion Lando Norris, who managed nearly three full grand prix distances as he wrapped up his work for the week.

McLaren driver Norris was second quickest, half a second down on Leclerc’s best.

Oliver Bearman posted the third-fastest time, the Briton also completing a massive amount of laps in the Ferrari-powered Haas.

The afternoon’s running included three red flags, firstly to clear debris after Valtteri Bottas lost a mirror, and a second time after Pierre Gasly stopped on track with the Alpine right after Turn 1.

After the stoppage, Gasly spent a big part of the evening in the garage.

The final red flag came right at the end of the day as race control tested its systems.

Mercedes endured a mixed day after it was forced to replace the power unit of its car in the morning, when Kimi Antonelli managed just three laps.

George Russell took over after the break as the team finally made it back on track, the Briton winding up with the fourth-fastest time.

Mercedes finished at the bottom in terms of mileage, however, covering just 54 laps.

Red Bull also hit trouble early on and missed the entirety of the morning, Isack Hadjar only doing one lap right at the end of the session.

The afternoon proved much more productive, though, and Hadjar managed over 87 laps on his way to the fifth-fastest time of the day.

Fernando Alonso was in charge of driving duties at Aston Martin today, the two-time champion enjoying the busiest day of the team’s pre-season so far.

The Spaniard was close to 100 laps on the day, but finished far off the pace on a day when team-mate Lance Stroll said Aston needed to find some four seconds to be competitive.

On Wednesday, the British squad had to add extra cooling vents to the engine cover as it appeared to be struggling with the temperature of the Honda power unit.

Only Cadillac was slower than Aston Martin, with Sergio Perez finishing at the bottom of the times. His team-mate Valtteri Bottas wound up a more promising eighth.

The team still had another solid day of running, with over 100 laps completed between the two drivers.

Bahrain F1 test: Day 2 times