Overview
- Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set a test-best 1:31.992 on the final afternoon and logged roughly 132 laps, finishing 0.879s clear of Lando Norris.
- Aston Martin completed just six laps on Friday and ended running early, with Honda confirming a battery issue and limited spares; the team managed only 128 laps across three days.
- Mercedes suffered its first on-track stoppage when Kimi Antonelli retired with a loss of pneumatic pressure that prompted a power‑unit change, though earlier long-run data suggested strong pace.
- McLaren lost valuable time to an apparent cooling fix before Norris returned to go second, after Oscar Piastri’s productive 66-lap morning stint.
- The FIA continued start‑procedure trials under the 2026 rules as teams left Bahrain with an indicative order led by Ferrari on pace, ongoing questions for Red Bull, and a reliability crunch for Aston Martin.