George Russell takes the lead on the third day of tests
Sunny. Dry. Air +18...16C, highway +32...20C
The winter tests in 2025 were more formal in nature – for several years the teams had achieved the maximum from their cars and knew perfectly well what to expect from their rivals. Everyone is already thinking about the 2026 car project, when the countdown will start anew.
But that doesn't mean there won't be surprises. With such solid results as at the end of last season, even the smallest detail can bring an advantage. And the title at the end of this season will be no less significant than in 2026 or any other season - and there is still a fight to be fought for it.
There is a feeling that the balance of power has changed a bit. Each of the teams had something to improve, and in this work it is easy to take a step in the wrong direction if all the obvious measures have already been taken. Not everyone is happy with the test results, especially since they were very crumpled – not because of reliability problems, which were almost nonexistent, but for some other, external reasons.
On the evening of the first day of testing, the electricity went out at the circuit unexpectedly and for a long time. The session was later extended to compensate for the lost time, but the work had to be interrupted. On the second day, rain, atypical for these places, prevented it. On the third day, it finally got warmer, but the riders were returned to the pits several times with red flags – first the glass in the referee's booth broke, then a large bus left the track. The theater of the absurd.
This is not the first time such adventures have been tested in Bahrain – in 2024, the opening of the drainage well lid seriously damaged several cars - we had to wait for the welders to arrive. The teams will think three times about where to conduct winter tests in 2026, when they really have to test completely new cars.
Otherwise, the third day of testing was quiet. There was an unexpected replacement at Aston Martin this morning. Lance Stroll felt unwell and in the morning Fernando Alonso got behind the wheel instead. After lunch, Lance went out on the track, but Alonso was completing the tests again. The team admits that they conducted the tests unsuccessfully, becoming outsiders in terms of distance traveled. Racing Bulls also has obvious problems.
Oliver Berman aborted the attempt when a fragment of the engine casing was torn off his car, the Haas F1 rookie returned to the pits and lost more than an hour. The same problem occurred with Esteban Ocon during the car run-in at Silverstone and may be chronic.
Mercedes still has questions, too. Toto Wolff openly admitted that the team does not understand what is happening, but Mercedes no longer has the advantage in speed in cool weather last year. On the third day of testing, the team lost time due to problems with the power plant, but at the end of the session George Russell still led the protocol. Kimi Antonelli, the rookie of the team, looked very good.
A new nose cone was brought to Red Bull today and, together with Verstappen, we tested various configuration options, collecting information. The team doesn't talk about it openly, but there are rumors that the RB 21 has inherited problems with understeer in the middle of the turn and Max is very unhappy about it.
But there are also those who are satisfied with the test results. The new Williams car was consistently in the top ten, and although it didn't matter in the tests, the team is optimistic. In addition, it was the result of Carlos Sainz, shown on the second day of the tests, that became the best this week.
The current holders of the McLaren Constructors' Cup also positively assess the situation. Yes, the car is not behaving perfectly so far, there is not enough traction between the driving wheels and the track, but many complained about this in Bahrain.
Special attention was focused on Ferrari. Charles Leclair's team-mate was Lewis Hamilton, the engineers decided to seriously refine the front of the car, and besides, a lot is always expected from the Italian team. On the last day of testing, Hamilton failed to simulate the race as he had hoped – in the evening, the team saw problems with telemetry and completed work ahead of schedule. In the upcoming season, Ferrari has a real chance to compete for the title, and it needs to be used, because in 2026 everything will start all over again.
Before the start of the season, everyone has the highest goals, so far reality has not affected expectations. But we'll get an answer soon. The test results are valid only for the two weeks remaining before Friday's training sessions in Melbourne!
Results of the third day of tests
Pilot
Team
Difference
Circles
Tires
1. D.Russell
Mercedes
1:29.545
91
C3
2. M.Verstappen
Red Bull
+0.021
81
C3
3. A.Elbon
Williams
+0.105
137
C4
4. O.Piastri
McLaren
+0.395
85
C3
5. P.Gasli
Alpine
+0.495
84
C3
6. L.Hamilton
Ferrari
+0.800
47
C4
7. Yu.Tsunoda
Racing Bulls
+0.952
87
S3
8. E.Windows
Haas
+1.183
103
C4
9. Sh.Leclair
Ferrari
+1.266
66
C3
10. K.Antonelli
Mercedes
+1.343
61
C3
11. L. Norris
McLaren
+1.398
57
S3
12. D. Duane
Alpine
+1.694
61
C3
13. L.Stroll
Aston Martin
+2.154
34
C3
14. N. Hulkenberg
Sauber
+2.181
69
C3
15. A.Hajjar
Racing Bulls
+2.216
73
C3
16. F.Alonso
Aston Martin
+2.539
82
C3
17. The city of Bortoleto
Sauber
+2.602
35
C3
18. O. Berman
Haas
+2.816
59
C3
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George Russell takes the lead on the third day of tests
George Russell led the protocol on the third day of tests...