The Formula 1 season experienced another eventful day of testing in Bahrain on Thursday, with Charles Leclerc once again emerging as the benchmark for pace and grabbing the attention of those closely following the 2026 preseason. The Monaco native had already led the morning session and ended the day maintaining Ferrari’s prominence, in a scenario that also saw a red flag due to a problem with the Cadillac car.
In the news, the second day was not limited to the stopwatch. The 2026 season continues to fuel debates off the track, with changes to engine rules entering the agenda after the controversy surrounding Mercedes, and expectations that the topic will go to a vote.
Still, in the package of new features of the new regulation, another topic that gained space was the extra difficulty in starts in 2026, a point that can directly affect the races throughout the championship.
On the Brazilian side, Gabriel Bortoleto was once again a highlight after celebrating a session “without setbacks” with Audi in Bahrain, valuing the progress of the work on the track precisely in a period when each lap counts for the teams to understand their cars.
Among the statements of the day, Carlos Sainz evaluated the scenario for 2026 and pointed out a possible advantage of Red Bull, while Max Verstappen treated the label of favoritism with caution, suggesting that the reading made by Toto Wolff may be a “tactic of distraction”.
Aston Martin, in turn, appeared in the technical news after problems related to the Honda engine, opening new air intakes in the AMR26 in search of a solution. And, off the tracks, Kimi Antonelli became a topic after losing his driver’s license following a traffic accident.
