Russell Sets the Pace as Aston Martin’s Bahrain Woes Continue
Mercedes driver tops Day 1 of final pre-season test while Stroll’s gravel trap drama highlights Silverstone team’s struggles
The second and final pre-season test for the 2026 Formula 1 season opened at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit with a familiar story at the front and concerning developments further down the grid. George Russell delivered a statement performance for Mercedes, setting the fastest time of the day and the entire Bahrain testing program so far, while Aston Martin’s troubles deepened with Lance Stroll’s premature end to running.
Mercedes Back on Top
After a challenging opening week in Bahrain, Mercedes returned to form in emphatic fashion. Russell’s afternoon flying lap of 1m33.459s established a new benchmark for the 2026 pre-season, eclipsing teammate Kimi Antonelli’s previous best from Test 1 by two-tenths of a second .
The British driver’s advantage was slim—just 0.010 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri—but the underlying message was clear. With 76 laps to his name, Russell also topped the day’s mileage charts, combining with Antonelli’s morning running to give Mercedes a formidable 145-lap total .
« We’re finding our rhythm with the new regulations, » Russell noted after the session. « The car feels balanced and we’re understanding how to extract the performance from these new tyres and aero package. »
The W17’s pace was particularly impressive given the team’s struggles earlier in testing. Where Mercedes had suffered reliability issues and setup headaches during Test 1, Thursday’s running suggested those gremlins have been systematically addressed.
The Top Four Tighten Up
Behind Russell and Piastri, the competitive order tightened considerably. Charles Leclerc’s morning benchmark of 1m33.739s held up for third place, with the Monegasque driver matching Piastri’s 70-lap tally .
Lando Norris completed the top four for McLaren, just 0.593s off Russell’s ultimate pace, while Antonelli’s morning effort was good enough for fifth despite the Italian not improving on his Test 1 best .
The gap between the leading quartet and the rest remained significant—0.8 seconds separated Lewis Hamilton in seventh from Carlos Sainz’s Williams in eighth—but within the elite group, margins were razor-thin .
All seven drivers from Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull occupied the top seven positions, confirming the established hierarchy from 2025 has carried over into the new regulations era .
Aston Martin’s Afternoon to Forget
While the front-runners fired on all cylinders, Aston Martin’s pre-season nightmare showed no signs of abating. Lance Stroll’s afternoon session ended abruptly when the Canadian speared into the gravel trap at Turn 11, bringing out the day’s only red flag .
The incident occurred approximately one hour into the afternoon running. Stroll appeared to lose drive when downshifting into the corner under braking, sending the AMR26 into an instant spin that left it beached in the gravel . Recovery crews needed a crane to extract the stricken machine.
Stroll’s tally of 26 laps—paired with Fernando Alonso’s 28 laps in the morning—gave Aston Martin the lowest combined mileage of any team . The Spaniard had earlier lost track time to a power unit issue, compounding the team’s misery .
Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack pulled no punches when assessing the situation. « We were late to the party, » he admitted to GPblog. « We saw it in Barcelona. It was good we went to Barcelona, but we were not really ready » .
Krack described the AMR26 as suffering from « a lot of little problems » across all areas—electronics, new partner integrations, gearbox and suspension—making it impossible to isolate a single fix .
« We have three times less laps than some of the best competitors, » Krack acknowledged. « That puts you behind. And you need to be realistic about it… They’re not waiting for us » .
New Start Procedure Tested
The session concluded with a trial of the revised race start procedure designed to address concerns over turbo spooling delays. Following an aborted start with an extra formation lap, drivers were given a brief delay before the light sequence began .
All ten cars reacted simultaneously to the lights—a marked improvement from Test 1’s chaotic scenes—though visible discrepancies in launch quality remained apparent. The only absentee was Stroll’s Aston Martin, which remained in the garage after its earlier excursion .
Looking Ahead
With two days of testing remaining before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8, Aston Martin faces a race against time to accumulate sufficient mileage. While the team showed flashes of improved pace—Stroll’s 1m35.974s was over two seconds quicker than his Test 1 best—the reliability issues are cutting deeply into setup and data collection work .
For Mercedes, Russell’s performance provides the perfect platform to build confidence ahead of Melbourne. The W17 looks genuinely competitive, and with both drivers firing on all cylinders, the Brackley squad appears well-positioned to challenge for early-season honours.
As the sun sets on Day 1, the 2026 pecking order is taking shape—with Mercedes at the sharp end and Aston Martin scrambling to join the fight.
Sources:
- RACER: « Russell tops Piastri, more Aston issues as final F1 pre-season test begins » (Feb 18, 2026)
- Formula1.com: « Russell tops Day 1 of second Bahrain test » (Feb 18, 2026)
- Sky Sports: « F1 Bahrain testing: George Russell fastest on first day of final test » (Feb 19, 2026)
- ESPN: « George Russell keeps Mercedes on top at F1 testing » (Feb 19, 2026)
- Motorsport.com: « F1 Bahrain pre-season test: Mercedes pips McLaren by 0.01s » (Feb 19, 2026)
- GPblog: « What’s going wrong for Aston Martin at Bahrain testing » (Feb 19, 2026)
- The Race: « Dramatic Aston Martin spin causes first red flag of final F1 test » (Feb 18, 2026)
- RacingNews365: « Aston Martin misery continues as bizarre car issue triggers red flag » (Feb 18, 2026)