2026 Bahrain F1 Testing | Day 3, Test 2 results

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Day 3 of test 2 at the 2026 Bahrain F1 testing is completed, view the full report and results here.

By the end of day 2, 5 drivers already completed their running of the 2026 Bahrain F1 Testing, Test 2. Consequently, their teammates were pulling double duty on day 3.

Hour 1 of 2026 Bahrain F1 Testing, Test 2

At the green light, the track immediately became busy with rookie Arvid Lindblad, the first driver to hit the track. The Racing Bull driver was on the hard tyre along with Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg. Everyone else was on the medium tyre. After the drivers had completed their first lap, it was Red Bull newcomer Isack Hadjar who rose to the top. However, his time didn’t last long, as Ferrari veteran Charles Leclerc set the first benchmark of the day with 1:33.689. By the end of hour 1, Antonelli had completed 21 laps, the most so far. His fastest lap put him in second behind Leclerc.

Hour 2

The second hour of 2026 Bahrain F1 testing kicked off with an interesting tyre choice, as Ocon headed out on the intermediate tyre. The Haas driver slid around the Bahrain International Circuit before returning to the pits. During the first hour, the Aston Martin remained stationary. The team issued a statement explaining that due to Alonso’s stoppage the previous day, there would be limited running today:

“Our last run with Fernando Alonso yesterday showed a battery-related issue that impacted our test plan with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.

“Since then, we have been carrying out simulations on the test bench in HRC Sakura. Due to this and a shortage of power unit parts, we have adapted today’s run plan to be very limited and consist only of short stints.”

Hour 3

As we entered the third hour, the Mercedes piloted by Kimi Antonelli came to a halt on track at the side of Turns 10 and 11, prompting a red flag. The stranded Mercedes was quickly recovered, and the session resumed shortly thereafter. The first driver to reach 50 laps was Charles Leclerc. He also remained at the top of the timing sheet with the time set during the first hour of day 3 of 2026 Bahrain F1 testing. Antonelli and Piastri complete the Top 3 as we head into the final hour of the morning session.

Hour 4

Entering the final hour of the morning session, most drivers had already completed over 50 laps, gathering valuable data and mileage. There was no change at the top with Leclerc leading ahead of Antonelli and Piastri. In the final moments of the morning session, Lance Stroll finally headed out for 2 laps. Right as Stroll pulled back into the pits, the red flag signaled the end of the morning session. Only 3 drivers, Piastri, Ocon, and Hadjar, lined up for the test start.

With the conclusion of the morning session of Day 3 of 2026 Bahrain F1 testing, test 2, Piastri, Antonelli, Hadjar, Hülkenberg, Ocon, and Pérez handed over the wheel to their teammates for the afternoon session.

Results after the morning session on Day 3, of 2026 Bahrain F1 Testing, Test 2

Hour 5 of 2026 Bahrain F1 Testing, Test 2

Back from the lunch break, the drivers were slow to hit the track for the evening session on day 3, of 2026 Bahrain F1 Testing, test 2. Ollie Bearman was the first one out, followed by Stroll, who only did 2 laps in the morning. Both drivers returned to the pits after just 2 laps. Stroll went in and out of the pits, not recording a timed lap. After running into an issue in the morning, Mercedes was back on track with George Russell at the wheel. While Mercedes was back on track, McLaren and Audi were notably absent from the first hour of afternoon running. As the first hour of the evening session ended, Lindblad was the first driver to hit 100 laps.

Hour 6

Early into the sixth hour, Charles Leclerc set a new fastest lap, 1:33.629, 0.060 seconds faster than his previous time. A bit of wheel-to-wheel action in hour 6 as Russell attempted an overtake on Gasly. As the sun started to set, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen slotted into P3, behind Leclerc and Antonelli, with a 1:34.315. Almost two hours into the session, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoletto finally headed out for his first laps on day 3 of 2026 Bahrain F1 Testing, test 2.

Hour 7

Once again, the hour opened with a new fastest lap from Leclerc. The Monegasque set a time of 1:33.162. With his first hot lap of the day, Russell slots into P3 behind Antonelli and ahead of Verstappen. With a little under two hours left in the session, reigning Champion Lando Norris finally hit the track. Setting a purple first sector, Verstappen looked to dethrone Leclerc, but the lap fell apart in the middle sector. Ultimately, Verstappen slotted into second place.

The battle for the fastest lap continued. With a fresh set of mediums, Verstappen improved, but it was not enough to steal the fastest lap. After a botched first attempt, Norris set out to claim the fastest lap, but it wasn’t enough to take it from Leclerc. Instead, it was the Ferrari driver who went purple in all three sectors and finished the lap with a 1:32.655. The Top 3 after the hunt for the fastest lap:

Leclerc 1:32.655
Norris 1:32.871
Verstappen 1:33.324

Hour 8

After an action-packed penultimate hour on day 3 of 2026 Bahrain F1 Testing, test 2, the final hour started quietly. With just under 45 minutes left, Russell improved and settled in third, as Bearman entered the Top 5 in fifth. However, the fastest time came, once again, from Leclerc: 1:32.297. A little over half an hour left in the session saw Verstappen claim third place from Russell. As Gasly slotted into P5, Leclerc went on another purple streak. A 1:31.992 for the Ferrari driver. As the clock ticked down to 8 minutes left, the red flag marked the end of the hunt for the fastest time in testing. Testing concluded with the test of the starting procedure.