F1: Read the latest of Formula 1 reports, news, opinions, and more by Pit Debrief.
Kimi Antonelli endured a frustrating build-up to his second F1 campaign, as persistent reliability issues derailed much of his 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Italian spent long spells confined to the Mercedes garage across the opening two days of testing, managing just over 30 laps while rivals gathered crucial data. It left his programme…
In an interview with F1TV, Graeme Lowdon reflected positively on the first week of 2026 Bahrain testing for the Cadillac F1 team after an encouraging start to its track programme. The new F1 team completed over 1700 kilometres across testing. Lowdon emphasised the productive nature of the week following Barcelona shakedown runs. The team focused…
Speaking to F1TV on the final day of the first 2026 F1 Bahrain test, Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane reflected on a strong week of running, highlighting the team’s focus on reliability and learning. Despite a slow start on the first day, when an early power unit issue limited the team to just half…
Audi F1’s Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley praised the team’s progress during 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain, highlighting the strides they’ve made since the shakedown in Barcelona and with how the team has functioned so far. After taking over operations from Sauber, the iconic four rings will compete in Formula 1 for the first time this…
This week the official 2026 F1 Pre-Season Testing in Bahrain started—Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar had a difficult start but finished the week making the top 10 in the time sheets. Hadjar experienced a hydraulic leak on his RB22 in the morning of day 2 of F1 Testing in Bahrain, leaving the AM session with one…
Following the end of the first 2026 F1 Bahrain test, George Russell highlighted that the Mercedes W17 car revealed its challenges, despite a previously smooth Barcelona Shakedown. Notably, Russell’s lap times improved steadily over the three-day test at the Bahrain International Circuit, with a total of 188 laps completed. The Brit finished Day 1 in…
Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets on day two of 2026 F1 Bahrain Testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. The Ferrari driver completed 140 laps on Thursday, posting a best time of 1:34.273 to lead Lando Norris and Ollie Bearman. Despite Ferrari’s strong performance during the opening pre-season test, Leclerc remained cautious about reading too much…
One hot topic from the paddock during the first week of Bahrain F1 pre-season testing is how the drivers feel about the new era of Formula 1 cars, and Fernando Alonso gave his views to F1.com. He shared his views on the new challenges awaiting drivers with the new regulations. All teams and drivers face…
The final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain has exposed the deep rift in the F1 paddock, and Max Verstappen has officially broken his silence on the “compression ratio” controversy, accusing Mercedes of extreme sandbagging to influence the FIA’s upcoming regulatory decisions on their engine. While the physical testing of the 2026 machines continues, a…
Fernando Alonso has said that the driver’s role in F1 is “dying” due to the new regulation changes brought in for the 2026 season. Speaking after Friday’s (13 February) test in Bahrain, the Aston Martin driver said that the emphasis on saving energy means drivers can’t perform to their full capabilities during races. While F1…
