F1 2026 testing live: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen return to action on final day in Bahrain
Follow live F1 updates as all 11 teams build up to the new season with a test at the Bahrain International Circuit
A week of pre-season testing in Bahrain continues today as teams gear up for the 2026 F1 season and the complete overhaul of regulations that could herald a changing of the guard and a new era in the sport.
While lap times during testing should be taken with a pinch of salt, day one at the Bahrain International Circuit certainly didn’t suggest a shake-up, with reigning world champion Lando Norris posting the fastest lap in his McLaren and Max Verstappen only marginally behind. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed Red Bull had “set the benchmark” with Verstappen’s straight-line speed, while McLaren chief executive Zak Brown suggested the “big four” of his team, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari were still the big four at the front.
Meanwhile, Audi turned heads with their radical new sidepod design, much narrower and more vertical than the design showcased at the car launch, as storylines moved on from the private ‘shakedown’ event that took place in Barcelona at the end of January.
Aston Martin – who previously caused a stir when their Adrian Newey-designed car was revealed and featured a number of unorthodox elements – struggled on day one, with Lance Stroll only able to complete 36 laps, while Lewis Hamilton suggested the race engineer upheaval at Ferrari would be “detrimental” to his chances this season, which begins with the first race in Australia on 8 March.
Follow live updates from F1 testing with The Independent’s live blog below:
Current leaderboard
George Russell is currently the fastest man on track, followed by Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson.
Early stages today though...
- RUS 1:34.075 - 12 laps
- VER +1.266 - 10 laps
- LAW +3.163 - 16 laps
- SAI +3.247 - 15 laps
- BEA +3.689 - 8 laps
- HAM +3.888 - 8 laps
- COL +5.093 - 6 laps
- STR +7.744 - 11 laps
- BOR - 6 laps
- PIA - 5 laps
- BOT - 5 laps
PHOTOS: Hamilton and Verstappen on track
Lewis Hamilton out on track
The Ferrari driver, in the cockpit for the whole day, is among the first cars out on track, with an aero-rake on his car.
Max Verstappen, Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto also amongst the cars on track. Unfortunately, F1’s live timing data is currently broken, so we’re not able to bring you live timing updates at the moment.
Hopefully there’ll be a fix soon...
Who's in the cockpit today?
McLaren - Oscar Piastri (all day)
Mercedes - George Russell (morning); Kimi Antonelli (afternoon)
Red Bull - Max Verstappen (morning); Isack Hadjar (afternoon)
Ferrari - Lewis Hamilton (all day)
Williams - Carlos Sainz (morning); Alex Albon (afternoon)
Racing Bulls - Liam Lawson (all day)
Aston Martin - Lance Stroll (all day)
Haas - Ollie Bearman (morning); Esteban Ocon (afternoon)
Audi - Gabriel Bortoleto (morning); Nico Hulkenberg (afternoon)
Alpine - Franco Colapinto (all day)
Cadillac - Valtteri Bottas (morning); Sergio Perez (afternoon)
Testing underway!
And we are a go with the third and final day of this week’s pre-season test!
Verstappen on new F1 rules:
“To drive, not a lot of fun to be honest,” he said in Bahrain on Thursday.
“I would say the right word is management, but, at the other end, I also know how much work has been going on in the background, also, from the engine side for the guys.
“So, it’s not always the nicest thing to say, but I also want to be realistic as for as a driver, the feeling is not very F1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.
“But the rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that. That’s also not my problem, because I’m all for that and equal chances.I don’t mind that, but, as a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out, and, at the moment, you cannot drive like that.”
Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘detrimental’ Ferrari plan – three weeks before 2026 F1 season
Lewis Hamilton admits plans to hire a new race engineer are “detrimental” to the start of his F1 season with just three weeks until the first race in Australia.
After a tumultuous first year at Ferrari, Hamilton opted to ditch race engineer Riccardo Adami last month, with the pair regularly clashing on team radio amid a 2025 campaign where the Briton, for the first time in his 19-year career, failed to register a podium.
It is understood that Hamilton is keen to hire Cedric Michel-Grosjean, formerly Oscar Piastri’s performance engineer at McLaren, yet the Frenchman must serve his notice period after leaving the team at the end of 2025.
Full story below:
Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘detrimental’ Ferrari plan – three weeks before 2026 F1 season
F1 world championship - odds:
George Russell is still the favourite, though Max Verstappen is a very close second-favourite, given his impressive stint yesterday.
- George Russell - 11/5
- Max Verstappen - 12/5
- Lando Norris - 6/1
- Kimi Antonelli - 9/1
- Oscar Piastri - 10/1
- Charles Leclerc - 11/1
- Fernando Alonso - 11/1
- Lewis Hamilton - 14/1
- Isack Hadjar - 50/1
- Pierre Gasly - 60/1
- Carlos Sainz - 60/1
- Alex Albon - 100/1
- Lance Stroll - 100/1
Good morning!
Welcome to live coverage of the final day of this week’s pre-season test in Bahrain.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are among the drivers back in action on Friday, with Red Bull and Mercedes in particular looking to bounce back after a frustrating day on the sidelines on Thursday.
Action on track starts at 7am GMT.
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