The final day of the Bahrain Formula 1 2026 test has been a thrilling display of speed and strategy, with a surprise leader at the halfway point! But who's dominating the track and what's causing the drama? Let's dive in.
Mercedes' George Russell is the man to catch, with his impressive lap time of 1m33.918s, set on the soft C3 tire during the second hour, still standing as the fastest. This came shortly after a red flag incident, adding an extra layer of challenge. And here's where it gets interesting: this was the only lap to break the 1m34s barrier, leaving the competition in his dust.
Russell's performance made up for Mercedes' earlier setback when they had to change an engine, causing them to miss most of Thursday morning's action with Kimi Antonelli at the wheel. Despite this, Russell managed the second-highest lap count of the day, completing 78 laps.
His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, wasn't far behind, securing the second-best time of 1m34.209s, just 0.291s off Russell's pace. Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, completed 69 laps and will be back on the track after the lunch break, aiming to close the gap.
Max Verstappen and Ollie Bearman held onto third and fourth places, respectively, while Oscar Piastri climbed to fifth for McLaren, but his best time was a significant 2.472 seconds slower than Russell's.
Franco Colapinto had a much-improved session compared to Wednesday, completing 64 laps and setting his personal best time of the week at 1m36.874s, earning him sixth place.
Liam Lawson, in eighth, was the most prolific driver on the track, completing 84 laps for Racing Bulls.
Cadillac, which caused the day's only red flag incident just before the end of the first hour, returned with Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel and managed to complete the final hour without incident. However, Bottas finished with the slowest time and the lowest lap count, completing only 37 laps, 17 fewer than the next lowest, Lance Stroll, who had his best session yet in the Aston Martin.
As the lunch break approaches, the question on everyone's mind is: can anyone catch George Russell? And will Mercedes' early engine troubles come back to haunt them? Stay tuned as the afternoon session promises even more excitement and potential upsets!
