Antonelli Quickest as Aston Martin’s Bahrain Nightmare Deepens
Mercedes rookie lowers testing benchmark while Alonso’s track stoppage highlights Silverstone team’s ongoing crisis
The penultimate day of 2026 Formula 1 pre-season testing at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit delivered a stark contrast in fortunes. Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli stamped his authority on the timesheets with the fastest lap of the entire winter program, while Aston Martin’s preparations descended further into chaos with Fernando Alonso’s premature track exit.
Mercedes’ New Star Shines
Kimi Antonelli announced his arrival as a genuine force with a stunning 1m32.803s—the quickest time recorded across all three pre-season tests and six tenths faster than anything seen in Bahrain prior to Thursday . The 19-year-old Italian, taking over from George Russell for the afternoon session, edged out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.058 seconds in a thrilling late-session shootout .
The lap wasn’t merely fast; it was statement of intent. Antonelli’s benchmark came on C3 compound tyres and represented a significant step forward from the previous day’s best, suggesting Mercedes has found genuine performance in the W17 .
With 79 laps to his name and a combined team total of 156 tours, Mercedes once again demonstrated the reliability that has characterized their pre-season . Team Principal Toto Wolff’s faith in his rookie protégé appears increasingly vindicated.
The Battle Behind
Oscar Piastri kept McLaren in the conversation with a 1m32.861s, though the Australian’s day ended with a minor drama when he stopped on track just before the final practice start procedure . He managed to restart and participate in the simulated race start, avoiding a repeat of Wednesday’s aborted attempts .
Max Verstappen provided Red Bull’s response with 139 laps—the highest individual tally of the day—and a best of 1m33.162s, three-tenths adrift of Antonelli’s pace . The Dutchman’s marathon stint suggested Red Bull is prioritizing race simulation data over outright qualifying performance.
Lewis Hamilton’s final scheduled day of Ferrari running was disrupted by a morning technical issue that limited him to just five laps, though the seven-time champion recovered to complete 78 laps and set the fourth-fastest time .
Aston Martin’s Unraveling
While the front-runners traded fastest laps, Aston Martin’s crisis accelerated. Fernando Alonso’s afternoon came to an abrupt halt when the AMR26 stopped on track after Turn 4, bringing out the day’s only red flag .
The Spaniard had completed 68 laps and was running a race simulation when the car suffered what appeared to be a power unit failure. With 80 minutes remaining, the Aston Martin pit wall emptied, signaling the end of Alonso’s day .
The stoppage was the latest in a litany of setbacks for the Silverstone squad. After Lance Stroll’s gravel trap excursion on Wednesday and limited running throughout pre-season, the team has now completed significantly fewer laps than any competitor .
Alonso’s fastest time of 1m37.472s was over 4.6 seconds slower than Antonelli’s benchmark—a gap that speaks to both reliability concerns and the Honda-powered package’s apparent performance deficit .
The Bigger Picture
With just one day of testing remaining before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the competitive order is crystallizing. Mercedes and McLaren appear to have established themselves as the teams to beat, with Red Bull in close attendance and Ferrari showing flashes of pace amid reliability niggles .
For Aston Martin, the situation is increasingly dire. The Adrian Newey-designed AMR26 has spent more time in the garage than on track, and with Melbourne looming, the team faces a race against time to understand its troubled package.
As Antonelli celebrated a career-defining lap, Alonso’s stranded car served as a reminder that in Formula 1, pre-season success and failure can be separated by mere fractions—or, in Aston Martin’s case, by several seconds and a growing mountain of reliability concerns.
Sources:
- ESPN: « Mercedes’ Antonelli tops testing on day 2 of second week » (Feb 19, 2026)
- Formula1.com: « Antonelli ends Day 2 of second Bahrain test on top » (Feb 19, 2026)
- FIA Official: « F1 – Antonelli quickest ahead of Piastri and Verstappen on day two of second Bahrain test » (Feb 20, 2026)
- The Race: « What happened on day two of second Bahrain 2026 F1 test » (Feb 20, 2026)
- RacingNews365: « Aston Martin misery continues with latest on-track stoppage » (Feb 19, 2026)
- Motorsport.com: « F1 Bahrain pre-season test: Mercedes narrowly beats McLaren, Aston Martin breaks down » (Feb 20, 2026)