Overview
- Mercedes completed about 500 laps to lead mileage and drew praise for a cohesive package, though a senior figure pushed back on favorite status as rivals judged the top four to be closely matched.
- Lewis Hamilton logged the fastest reported lap at 1:16.348 on Friday in unofficial timings as Ferrari finished near the top for mileage, with Charles Leclerc calling the SF-26’s true pace a huge question mark.
- Rival engineers and reporters flagged potential handling and drag concerns on Ferrari’s new car, even as the team emphasized reliability and deferred performance judgments to Bahrain.
- Red Bull’s in-house power unit with Ford support ran reliably across substantial laps, with Max Verstappen describing the overall package as a work in progress after a productive final day.
- Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey-influenced design drew attention for its radical concept but completed very limited running at roughly 65 laps, leaving its Honda-powered package to be proven in open testing.