Ferrari's Leclerc dominates final day of testing in Bahrain

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Ferrari and Charles Leclerc ended the 2026 Bahrain pre-season testing on a high note, dominating the final day and leaving rivals chasing shadows.

The Scuderia charger’s relentless pace culminated in a blistering 1m31.992s late in the session, almost a full second clear of second-placed Lando Norris, as Ferrari’s SF-26 racked up over 130 laps.

Leclerc had already set the tone early, topping the first hour with a 1m33.689s and improving to 1m33.162s in hour two.

By the final hour, conditions at the Bahrain International Circuit were ideal, and the Ferrari driver delivered a performance run that firmly stamped his authority on the pre-season.

McLaren Struggles Amid Vital Track Time Lost

Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished second with a 1m32.871s, but his afternoon was hampered by cooling issues on the McLaren. He didn’t hit the track until the final two hours, limiting valuable preparation time.

Despite this, the Briton managed nearly 50 laps, adding to teammate Oscar Piastri’s 66 earlier in the day.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed the podium, 1.117s off the pace after 65 laps, while George Russell led Mercedes in fourth.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was fifth, followed by Haas driver Oliver Bearman and Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished eighth after an interrupted morning session, while Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten, both impressively exceeding 140 laps.

Mixed Fortunes Across the Field

The remainder of the field reflected a mix of promising mileage and ongoing struggles. Piastri was 11th, Haas’ Esteban Ocon 12th, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar 13th, and Valtteri Bottas 14th in the leading Cadillac.

Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) and Sergio Perez (Cadillac) completed the classified runners down to 16th.

Aston Martin’s pre-season woes continued as Lance Stroll managed just six laps on Friday. Persistent engine issues and a shortage of power unit parts curtailed the team’s final preparation, leaving Team Silverstone staring down the start of the season in Australia next month with limited data.

With six days of testing complete, teams now head into Melbourne with clear benchmarks.

Ferrari’s pace and reliability stand out, while McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes still have work to do. For Aston Martin, the pre-season has been a stark warning of the challenges ahead in 2026’s regulation reset.

Bahrain Test - Day 6: Final session times

#	Driver	Team	Gap	Time	Laps
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	—	1:31.992	132
2	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.879	1:32.871	47
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+1.117	1:33.109	65
4	George Russell	Mercedes	+1.205	1:33.197	82
5	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+1.429	1:33.421	118
6	Oliver Bearman	Haas	+1.495	1:33.487	88
7	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.763	1:33.755	71
8	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+1.924	1:33.916	49
9	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+2.157	1:34.149	165
10	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+2.350	1:34.342	141
11	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+2.360	1:34.352	66
12	Esteban Ocon	Haas	+2.502	1:34.494	82
13	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	+2.519	1:34.511	59
14	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+3.298	1:35.290	38
15	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+4.027	1:36.019	64
16	Sergio Pérez	Cadillac	+8.850	1:40.842	61
17	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	—	1:46.464	6