Leclerc Maintains Ferrari Momentum as Red Bull and Mercedes Recover on Bahrain Day 2
Monegasque driver lowers benchmark time to 1:34.273 as rivals overcome morning setbacks; Alpine causes red flag with precautionary stoppage
Charles Leclerc maintained Ferrari’s strong start to the 2026 pre-season, setting the fastest time on the second day of Bahrain testing while Red Bull and Mercedes recovered from frustrating morning interruptions .
The Monegasque driver’s 1:34.273 — set during the morning session — remained unbeaten throughout Thursday, giving Ferrari the fastest time of the test so far and completing his running for the week with a total of 139 laps .
Ferrari and McLaren Lead the Way
Leclerc’s benchmark lowered the overall test best by nearly four tenths of a second, placing him half a second clear of reigning world champion Lando Norris, who managed 149 laps in the McLaren .
While Norris couldn’t match his Day 1 pace, his lap count underlined McLaren’s relentless reliability program. The British team has now completed 261 laps across two days without major incident, establishing themselves as the mileage leaders alongside Ferrari .
Leclerc spent his afternoon conducting a full race simulation, providing Ferrari with crucial long-run data before handing over to Lewis Hamilton for Friday’s final day .
Morning Troubles, Afternoon Recoveries
Both Mercedes and Red Bull suffered significant setbacks during the morning session, only to mount impressive recoveries after lunch.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli managed just three laps before a power unit issue struck, forcing the team to change the entire engine . George Russell took over for the afternoon and completed 54 laps, setting the fourth-fastest time despite the disrupted program .
« We’re still behind on the set-up work, » admitted trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, « but at least got the car into a reasonable window by the end of the day » .
Red Bull faced a two-hour delay with Isack Hadjar due to what the team described as a « routine issue during the car build » . The Frenchman eventually emerged just before the lunch break and completed a productive 87 laps in the afternoon, finishing fifth fastest .
Hadjar reported feeling « good with the car » and confirmed the team’s planned program was unaffected by the morning stoppage .
Red Flags and Precautionary Stops
The day featured three red flag interruptions. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly caused the second stoppage when he was instructed to stop the car on precautionary grounds after the team spotted a data anomaly . The Frenchman, who had been on course to reach 100 laps, did not return to the track and finished with 97 laps .
Cadillac accounted for the other two interruptions — Sergio Perez stopped on track in the opening hour, while Valtteri Bottas lost a wing mirror that caused a debris-related red flag . Despite the setbacks, the American newcomer completed 107 laps across both drivers .
Aston Martin’s Mileage Boost
Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin project showed signs of progress, with Fernando Alonso completing 98 laps — the team’s highest single-day tally so far. However, the Spaniard’s best time was nearly four seconds off Leclerc’s pace, and Lance Stroll admitted earlier in the week that the team looked « four seconds off the top teams » .
The Reliability Picture
Seven teams completed more than 90 laps on Thursday, underlining the improving reliability picture across the grid as teams adapt to the new 2026 regulations . Williams’ Carlos Sainz led the mileage charts with 145 laps on Wednesday, while Thursday saw consistent running from Haas (Oliver Bearman, 130 laps) and Ferrari .
With one day remaining in the first Bahrain test and a second three-day test to follow (February 18-20), teams are rapidly accumulating the data needed before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
Sources
- PlanetF1: « Bahrain Test Day 2: Leclerc fastest as five red flags disrupt running » (February 13, 2026)
- The Race: « What went down on second day of Bahrain F1 test » (February 13, 2026)
- Sky Sports: « F1 Bahrain testing: Charles Leclerc tops Lando Norris as Ferrari and McLaren impress while Red Bull and Mercedes suffer technical issues » (February 13, 2026)
- Motorsport.com: « F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season test: Charles Leclerc tops day two, Lando Norris completes most laps » (February 13, 2026)
- Formula1.com: « What we learned from Day 2 of the first Bahrain test » (February 13, 2026)
- Motorsport.com: « Mercedes and Red Bull hit trouble on second Bahrain F1 test day » (February 12, 2026)
- The Race: « Stray wing mirror one of two quick-fire red flags in Bahrain » (February 12, 2026)