Leclerc fastest after day 2 of Bahrain pre-season test
12th February 2026Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the fastest driver out on track for the second day of testing, in Bahrain, as the pre-season test in the Middle East nears the halfway point.
Feature image credit: cc
Thursday marked the second day of testing of the first round of three-day tests at the Bahrain International Circuit, with McLaren champion Lando Norris topping day one.
Ferrari’s #16 had access to the team’s SF-26 all day, having taken over the reins from Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday’s morning session. It wasn’t long before the Monegasque got up to speed as he clocked the fastest time of the morning.
That benchmark pace remained the time to beat as the session crept over into the afternoon, finishing half a second clear of Norris.
Both drivers, including Haas’ Oliver Bearman, were on full day driving duties with their respective teams, and clocked over 100 laps each. Norris completed the most laps of the day with 149 laps, ahead of Leclerc (139) and Bearman (130).
A total of 15 drivers were able to put a lap time on the board, whilst Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, was only able to put in three laps across the morning test. It was reported that the problem was a power unit issue which hindered the Italian.
However, the team rectified this, and George Russell was able to get out in the afternoon.
Only Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Hamilton, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) missed out on the on-track action of day two.
So, what were the times?
Lap Times
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 1m 34.273s
- Lando Norris, McLaren +0.511s
- Oliver Bearman, Haas +1.121s
- George Russell, Mercedes +1.193s
- Isack Hadjar, Red Bull +2.288s
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi +2.397s
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine +2.450s
- Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac +2.551s
- Alexander Albon, Williams +2.956s
- Nico Hulkenberg, Audi +2.993s
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls +3.197s
- Carlos Sainz, Williams +3.319s
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls +3.744s
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +3.975s
- Sergio Perez, Cadillac +4.380s
Testing will resume tomorrow for the final test of the first week in Bahrain.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Norris fastest after day 1 of Bahrain pre-season testing
- Max Verstappen tops morning on day 1 of Bahrain pre-season test
- Who is driving on day 1 of pre-season testing in Bahrain?
- Aston Martin nightmare start to livery launch as final F1 car unveiled
- McLaren reveal 2026 livery as testing prep ramps up
- Cadillac reveals contrasting livery ahead of F1 season
Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from ApexMotorsports.co.uk!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
