F1 testing 2026 live: Updates, stream and lap times with Leclerc on track in Bahrain – UK Times

That’s six laps and done for Lance Stroll today, with Aston Martin packing up the garage.

What a shocker of a pre-season test window for the team decked in racing green. Some serious work to do over the next few weeks…

“I agree with Max on a lot of comments,” Norris said. “Probably most of the comments I agree with, but it’s not that I don’t have fun out there. So there’s two sides.

“I do agree with basically every other driver, because I think every other driver has made their comments pretty clear. I just didn’t want to come out into the media and complain to everyone on the first weekend back. I want to still enjoy my time and just say what I feel.

“I had fun last week. I’ve still been having fun out there now. And I think we know as a championship with FIA and with Formula 1, we’re trying to improve the car that we have now, because it’s certainly not the purest form of racing, and that’s what Formula 1 should be.

“A lot of the driving is focused on just trying to get the battery to work properly and less focused on how can you as a driver get everything out of the car.”

The Monegasque has been P1 for quite some time now, with no-one pipping his 1:33:629 yet – even though we had two drivers in the 1:32s yesterday.

1. Charles Leclerc – 1:33:629
2. Kimi Antonelli +0.287
3. Oscar Piastri +0.723
4. Esteban Ocon +0.865
5. Isack Hadjar +0.882

When asked further about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari race engineer situation, Vasseur interrupted the question and said: “Please stop with this story! If you go into the paddock of 22 cars, you have approximately six or seven new engineers each year and the same with the team principals.

“I’m probably the oldest [longest-serving] one with Toto [Wolff]. You are changing three or four team principals each year and it’s not the end of the team.

“The team today is something like 1,500 people. It’s not about one race engineer. The guy that you see on the pit wall is leading a team of people working on the car and it’s not a matter of individuals.

“A red flag will be shown and all cars will return to the pit lane. The cars will then complete a formation lap, followed by an additional formation lap, before lining up on the grid for a simulated race start.

“Once all cars are in position, a new Pre-Start Warning will begin: all grid panels will flash blue for 5 seconds. After the blue warning ends, the usual start sequence will begin.

“In total, the sequence will consist of:

* Cars back in pit lane and line up in the fast lane

* Pit exit open – cars leave pit lane to go back on the grid

* Cars back in position on the grid

* 5-second blue pre-start warning

* Standard start light procedure

No sign of the reigning world champion or the Brazilian driver so far this afternoon.

There’s also work being done on Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Slow start to this afternoon session…

The British rookie leads the way on the lap count so far and, on 92, is closing in on a century.

Valuable time in the cockpit for the only rookie driver on the grid this season.

Red Bull have suffered an early-season blow with the departure of chief F1 designer Craig Skinner from the team.

Skinner worked closely with Red Bull’s former design guru Adrian Newey, now team principal at Aston Martin, but the Milton Keynes outfit have now confirmed his exit after two decades.

While not directly linked to other departures, Skinner is the latest in a long line of key personnel to leave the team in the last year or two.

Mercedes – George Russell

Red Bull – Max Verstappen

Ferrari – Charles Leclerc

Racing Bulls – Arvid Lindblad

Aston Martin – Lance Stroll

Cadillac – Valtteri Bottas