Mercedes ended the final day of the first Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain with a 1-2, headed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The German marque did not complete a great deal of laps on Friday, but the 26 completed by Antonelli saw him clock a 1:33.669s, which ended up being the best of the day.
George Russell was two-and-a-half tenths behind, with Lewis Hamilton – who completed more laps than both Mercedes put together with 150 – was third, a further two tenths further back from the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton’s day had been incredibly positive, but ended on a sour note with a stop out on track.
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-120x86.webp)
Oscar Piastri was third, ahead of the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
The end of the week still brings no real clarity about real pace, but it appears that both Mercedes and McLaren have potentially the best cars, with Red Bull also proving to have some serious pace that few could predict prior to the test, with Ferrari showing good reliability.
View the full results below!
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:33.669 | 61 | |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 0.249 | 78 | |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 0.540 | 150 | |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 0.880 | 161 | |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1.672 | 61 | |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1.941 | 59 | |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 2.084 | 75 | |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 2.137 | 144 | |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 2.303 | 70 | |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 2.622 | 58 | |
| 11 | Alex Albon | Willianms | 2.996 | 78 | |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 2.139 | 119 | |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 3.139 | 68 | |
| 14 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 3.517 | 67 | |
| 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 3.696 | 60 | |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 3.867 | 72 | |
| 17 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 4.496 | 37 |
READ MORE – Lando Norris offers blunt response to Max Verstappen’s assessment of 2026 F1 cars
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-360x180.webp)
Discussion about this post