Overview
- Charles Leclerc topped the second day of testing with a 1:34.273 for Ferrari, with Lando Norris 0.511s back as both logged heavy mileage (Leclerc 139 laps, Norris 149).
- Mercedes lost a full morning when Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed only three laps before a power‑unit failure triggered an engine change, with George Russell later returning for 54 laps.
- Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was limited to an installation lap in the morning due to a hydraulic leak before recovering to 87 laps in the afternoon, after Max Verstappen’s 136‑lap Day 1 marathon.
- Verstappen said the 2026 cars are “not a lot of fun” and feel “like Formula E on steroids,” while Lewis Hamilton urged the FIA to ensure an equal playing field and warned the energy systems are “ridiculously complex.”
- Rival manufacturers have questioned Mercedes’ power‑unit compression‑ratio interpretation as the FIA reviews power‑unit rules, with further Bahrain running scheduled before next week’s second test and the Melbourne season opener.