Overview
- Franco Colapinto completed about 60 laps and placed inside the top 10 on Wednesday afternoon in Bahrain, posting a 1:35.254 in the Alpine A526.
- Pierre Gasly ran the morning session and was fifth with 61 laps, giving Alpine 121 laps on day one of the final three‑day test.
- Alpine confirmed its plan for the last tests: Gasly in Wednesday morning and all of Friday, Colapinto on Wednesday afternoon and the full Thursday program.
- The Mercedes‑powered A526 delivered smoother running than in 2025, with teams using the final Bahrain sessions to validate reliability and race‑run data before Melbourne in early March.
- Formula 1 locked in Spain’s calendar: Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya returns in even years through 2032 on an alternating basis, while Madrid becomes a permanent Grand Prix through 2035.