F1’s last chance to figure things out before the real action starts did not disappoint on Wednesday — especially for Scuderia Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc went fastest in the morning. Lance Stroll’s car quit on lap seven and ended up in the gravel. Lewis Hamilton sounded more optimistic than he has in two years. And Aston Martin gave everyone another reason to worry.
Welcome to Day 1 of the second Bahrain test. In three weeks, everyone heads to Melbourne for Round 1 of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
So, what did we learn from Week 2 of testing on Wednesday so far?
Ferrari Looks Like Ferrari
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of the morning — a 1:33.739 — putting him three-tenths of a second ahead of reigning world champion Lando Norris. Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli was third, another tenth back.
For fans newer to the sport: three-tenths is a lot of daylight in F1. But time sheets don’t always tell the truth. Teams run different fuel loads and tire compounds during testing, and nobody shows everything they’ve got. Think of it like NFL preseason — the starters don’t play the whole game.
What was harder to hide was the gap to the rest of the field. Williams’ Alex Albon was fourth, nearly two full seconds behind Leclerc. Haas driver Esteban Ocon told reporters the midfield is “seconds away” from the front-runners. Two seconds a lap over a 50-plus lap race is the difference between fighting for points and fighting for survival.
Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes. Those three looked like they were operating at a different level. Again.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton Sounds Like a Different Person
Ferrari split the day between drivers, so Hamilton’s track time came in the afternoon. But he spent the morning talking to the media, and what he said was worth hearing.
Last year was the worst of his career. He joined Ferrari from Mercedes — a move supposed to be the crowning chapter of a historic career — and went the entire season without a podium. For a seven-time world champion, that’s not a slump. That’s a crisis. The car didn’t suit him, his relationship with engineer Riccardo Adami fell apart and he spent 2025 looking like a man driving someone else’s machine.
“Last year, we were locked into a car I ultimately inherited,” Hamilton told reporters. “This is a car I’ve been able to be a part of developing on the simulator for the last 8-10 months, and so I feel like a bit of my DNA is within it, so I’m more connected.”
On his headspace: “I’ve really spent a lot of time rebuilding over this winter, refocusing, really getting my body and my mind in a much better place,” he said.
He’s 41. He’s been written off before. And Ferrari’s car looked quick enough Wednesday to make his optimism feel grounded in something real.
Aston Martin Just Can’t Catch a Break
On Wednesday afternoon, Lance Stroll’s AMR26 lost drive heading into Turn 11. Honda’s power unit dropped to neutral. The car spun. Stroll climbed out after seven laps.
Red flag. Flatbed tow. Day over.
This isn’t a one-off. During the first test last week, Aston Martin logged fewer laps than any other team. Stroll estimated the car was four to four-and-a-half seconds off the pace. That’s not a gap you close in three weeks.
The AMR26 is the first car built under Adrian Newey, who left Red Bull last year in one of the biggest moves in recent F1 history. Newey designed four straight championship-winning cars at Red Bull, so the expectations were enormous. But the car’s aggressive aero concept is believed to be causing cooling problems for the Honda power unit, which is already suspected to be down on power.
Fernando Alonso, who managed just 28 laps Wednesday morning, said during the first test that Newey “hasn’t forgotten how to design an F1 car.” That’s probably true. Getting the thing to survive a full afternoon is a different problem entirely.
Red Bull and Cadillac Hit Trouble Too
Aston Martin had company. Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar managed just 13 laps after a coolant pressure issue. He still went sixth-fastest, hinting that the RB22 has pace beneath the headaches. But 13 laps isn’t much to build on.
Cadillac, the American team in its first F1 season, also struggled. Their driver, Sergio Perez, the same man Red Bull dropped, dealt with sensor problems that cost him the entire first hour. Not a productive morning, on track, for both Red Bull and Cadillac.
What Actually Matters
The 2026 regulations are the biggest reset F1 has seen in years. New power units. Active aerodynamics, where wing elements adjust automatically based on speed to balance drag on straights with downforce through corners. Nobody has raced any of it. Every team is still learning.
Two-plus test days remain. Then it’s Melbourne.
Ferrari looks like they’ve got it together. Aston Martin has the most ground to make up. Everything else is still getting sorted.
The Australian Grand Prix is March 8. The answers are coming.
