Leclerc Leads Bahrain Test Despite Red Bull Woes

The final test week in Bahrain is underway. While Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Andrea Kimi Antonelli battled to post the first benchmark of the week, Red Bull were hampered by an issue with their water system. Sister team Racing Bulls, however, ensured the Austrians’ brand-new power unit still got a thorough shakedown: Arvind Linblad covered 75 laps more than many other drivers on Wednesday morning. In the end it was Leclerc who set the first outright time of the week: a 1:33.739 — less than a tenth off Kimi Antonelli’s quickest lap from a week ago.

The final three days of testing ahead of the Australian GP have begun. No time to lose — Haas in particular will have felt the pressure. Esteban Ocon was the first driver out on track in Bahrain. It was, however, Charles Leclerc in the SF‑26 who laid down the opening fast lap of the week: a 1:38.356. The Monegasque couldn’t match the quicker time he set last Thursday on the same circuit. Ferrari didn’t just turn heads with early pace; many teams were also surprised by the Scuderia’s ‘unprecedented’ exhaust upgrade. Motorsport Italia reports the Italian team has fitted a small winglet ahead of the pipe.  

Leclerc’s quick time didn’t last long. Not even ten minutes later Lando Norris sliced almost four‑tenths off the Monegasque’s mark. Fast laps continued to stack up through the first hour of the Wednesday morning session. Before long Leclerc was back on top with a 1:33.739, only seven hundredths off last week’s best. Andrea Kimi Antonelli had been quicker than any other driver around the Bahrain International Circuit then.

But while Ferrari and McLaren were quickly swapping the quickest lap of the second test week, the morning session went less smoothly for other teams. Arvid Lindblad locked up into Turn 1 within the first quarter-hour, and Sergio Pérez only hit the track in the Cadillac car in the second hour. A number of drivers – including Fernando Alonso in the AMR26 and Nico Hülkenberg in the Audi machine – also paid visits to the gravel trap. In the third hour of the session Kimi Antonelli and Norris also locked up.

Problems at Red Bull

With two hours left on the clock for Wednesday’s morning session in Bahrain Isack Hadjar was back in the garage. After just thirteen laps the Frenchman suffered a problem with the RB22‘s water system. Aston Martin’s first session of the second test week also failed to go to plan; the British stable, in turn, encountered another issue with its Honda power unit.

Fortunately for Red Bull, Racing Bulls also runs a power unit from Red Bull Powertrains, and Arvid Lindblad was able to get the necessary test kilometres in the VCARB04. The rookie was even responsible for the most laps of the morning: 75 laps. Leclerc nevertheless held the quickest time, while Kimi Antonelli impressed with his long runs. The Mercedes driver ran consistently in the 1:37s on C3 tyres.

The result of the morning session on the second Wednesday in Bahrain