Russell Leads Opening Day of Second Bahrain Pre-Season Test as Piastri and Verstappen Follow

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George Russell topped the timesheets on Day 1 of the second pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, setting the early benchmark ahead of title contenders and signaling Mercedes’ strong preparation as Formula 1’s 2026 season draws ever closer.

Russell posted the fastest lap of the session, demonstrating solid pace and consistency as teams continue to adapt to the sweeping technical changes introduced this year. His performance placed him ahead of Oscar Piastri, who finished second for McLaren, and Max Verstappen in third for Red Bull highlighting the tight competition among the frontrunners.

The day began under clear skies and smooth track conditions, allowing teams to maximise running time. Russell’s Mercedes showed a competitive balance early on, and the team focused on detailed data gathering across multiple tyre compounds and fuel loads. His pace on the soft tyres proved particularly strong, giving Mercedes early confidence as they refine car setup and race simulations.

Piastri was second fastest after delivering a clean and composed lap, while also spending significant time on high fuel runs to evaluate race pace. McLaren put particular emphasis on long run consistency, aiming to understand tyre degradation and cooling behaviour ahead of the official season opener.

Verstappen completed the top three with a strong showing for Red Bull, though the team encountered minor balance issues that limited their outright attack runs. Red Bull instead used the session to explore suspension settings and hybrid energy deployment, prioritising reliability as they aim to challenge for both championships.

Elsewhere on the grid, Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton experienced the first reported issue of his Ferrari era, prompting the team to make adjustments before the rest of the test. Hamilton’s programme was interrupted briefly as the crew diagnosed and corrected the concern, allowing him to return later in the session for valuable mileage.

Midfield teams continued their own development work. Haas completed steady mileage as they assessed aero updates, while Alpine and Aston Martin concentrated on calibration tests and brake cooling evaluations. Williams and Alpine also used the day to trial different power unit maps and hybrid modes, seeking to fine tune energy deployment under race like conditions.

By the end of running, overall lap counts had climbed significantly compared with the earlier Barcelona shakedown, and teams left the track with large data sets to analyse overnight. Engineers will now use this information to further refine setups, tyre strategies and performance models ahead of the remainder of the Bahrain test.

Russell’s early benchmark sets up an intriguing second day of running. With pace spread closely among the leading teams, every session will be vital in determining where the competitive order truly lies as the 2026 Formula 1 season fast approaches.