Motoring News

Kimi Antonelli led team mate George Russell as Mercedes locked out the top two positions on the timing screens across the third and final day of 2026’s opening pre-season test in Bahrain.

Isack Hadjar has admitted that Red Bull’s progress during the first 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain has been “better than we hoped for”, with the Frenchman labelling the squad’s new power unit as “reliable” and “powerful”.

George Russell has described this week’s pre-season test in Bahrain as “a bit of a reality check” for Mercedes, believing that the team have “taken a step back” in terms of reliability and performance since the Barcelona Shakedown.

Lance Stroll has offered a frank assessment of where he feels Aston Martin stand after the first few days of running with their new Honda-powered challenger, suggesting the team are “four-and-a-half seconds” off the pace.

After the final day of the first 2026 Formula 1 winter test in Bahrain, here are the key figures to remember from Friday.
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Formula 1F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season test: Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads Mercedes 1-2 on day three



Bahrain Test 1, Day 3: Mileage by team




Team
Driver(s)
Total laps completed
Kilometres ...Keep reading

The last time Hendrick Motorsports had a tandem like Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels, the driver (Jeff Gordon) was signed to a lifetime contract and the crew chief (Ray Evernham) left to form a factory team for Dodge.
Rick Hendrick was very adamant, with the two-time champions both on a contract year, to not lose his latest dynasty to any sort of free agency or market shift.
“Well, it was ...Keep reading

Ex-F1 driver Romain Grosjean will return to the IndyCar grid in 2026, driving the No. 18 Honda entry for Dale Coyne Racing. It was the final full-time seat to be decided before the new season got underway. OnlyBulls and Bitcoin MAX will fund the effort. Grosjean recently drove for DCR in the pre-season test at Sebring.

Romain Grosjean
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty ...Keep reading

Mercedes reaffirmed belief that it is the team to beat in Formula 1 this year after Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped a Silver Arrows 1-2 on the final day of this week’s 2026 Bahrain pre-season test. 
The 19-year-old set a 1m33.669s, which was 0.249s quicker than team-mate George Russell, who topped the morning session before Antonelli jumped in the W17 post-lunch. 
So, it was the perfect way ...Keep reading

Charles Leclerc believes Red Bull and Mercedes are leading Ferrari and McLaren in terms of performance ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The world championship has introduced new chassis and engine regulations for the upcoming campaign, with the pecking order quite unpredictable as a consequence.
The new power units in particular are a substantial differentiator, requiring numerous energy ...Keep reading

Long the symbol of an unenviable record, Nico Hulkenberg ended his streak of Formula 1 grand prix starts without a podium finish at the 2025 British Grand Prix. His run to third place at Silverstone ended a podium-less run that lasted 238 races, but this leaves a question: which driver has now entered the most F1 races without taking to the podium? 
Here, we run down the 20 Formula 1 ...Keep reading

Red Bull's advantage at the front of the Formula 1 field "has been really eye-opening for a lot of us," says Mercedes driver George Russell.

Red Bull's advantage at the front of the Formula 1 field "has been really eye-opening for a lot of us," says Mercedes driver George Russell.

Thierry Neuville described his current World Rally Championship struggles as the ‘hardest time of his career so far’ following a difficult morning at Rally Sweden.
The 2024 champion has been struggling for confidence behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 this season, with his struggles from last month’s opening round in Monte Carlo continuing in Sweden.
Even after topping ...Keep reading

During winter testing in Bahrain, no one appears keen to take on the role of favourite for the 2026 Formula 1 season. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has labelled Red Bull Racing as “the benchmark”, but the Milton Keynes outfit does not agree.
On Thursday, Max Verstappen hinted that he suspects extreme sandbagging at Mercedes: “Just wait until Melbourne and see how much power they suddenly ...Keep reading

Dan Ticktum has questioned the direction of Formula 1 after the championship's 2026 regulations have received differing opinions from drivers during testing in Bahrain. 
The Formula E race winner has reacted to the debate around what the next generation of F1 cars should feel like to drive and watch as the series enters a set of new regulations that rely substantially more on electrical energy ...Keep reading

Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell says it is too early to judge F1's new generation of cars amid criticism of how they are to drive.
At Bahrain's first three-day test, F1 drivers were finally able to sample the much-discussed 2026 generation of cars in representative conditions, with a lot of focus going towards optimising the ambitious hybrid energy rules.
Read ...Keep reading

George Russell set the pace during the morning session on the third day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, the Mercedes driver heading Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on the timesheets.

Elfyn Evans claimed the Rally Sweden lead to head a Toyota 1-2-3 as overnight frontrunner Oliver Solberg dropped to fifth following a dramatic Friday morning.
After three snow stages, Evans headed to the midday service with a 14.5s lead over Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, with team-mate Sami Pajari in third [+23.3s]. The top five was completed by the returning Esapekka Lappi [+34.9s], who led the ...Keep reading

Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag in this Sunday's Daytona 500, driving the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Chase Briscoe will join him on the front row for 'The Great American Race' after these two topped qualifying on Wednesday.
But after the Duel qualifying races on Thursday, which were won by Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, we now know the starting positions for the ...Keep reading

Jenson Button believes Lando Norris will be returning this season as a "formidable force" after winning his first Formula 1 world title last year. 
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 ahead of testing in Bahrain, the 2009 F1 world champion reflected on his experience of making the most of a change in regulations as he called the 2026 changes "the biggest one we've probably seen in modern F1" given the ...Keep reading