F1
Reaching Peak Performance: 2026 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing
Six days, two drivers, 672 laps and 3,636 kilometres of intense learning. F1’s official pre-season tests are done. Next stop Melbourne…
After the behind-closed-doors, sneak-peakery of last month’s private shakedown in Barcelona, there was no hiding in Bahrain this week as the first official pre-season test kicked off at the Sakhir Circuit. And in the full glare of the spotlight, the RB22 shone, if not with stellar brilliance, then with the sort of consistent and impressive performances that earn plenty of nominations come awards season.
That might sound low-key, but if there’s one thing F1 engineers like in a new car, it’s consistency. No major dramas, no head-scratching anomalies, just solid reliability, a hefty data set to analyse back at base and a road map for the coming days and the start of the season.
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Week 1
Reactions From The Team
The regeneration game - Day 1
On Wednesday, building on the rough contours drawn in Spain, Max filled in that map by logging a whopping 136 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, 22 laps beyond a double race distance at the BIC! In all, Max worked his way to a total distance of 736.032 km – about the distance from Milton Keynes to the Nürburgring.
Max's Day
And the four-time champion was happy with his day’s work, especially in terms of understanding the all-new Red Bull Ford Powertrains DM01 power unit.
“Red Bull Ford Powertrains is still a completely new project compared to others, so there is so much to keep learning and figuring out ahead of the first race,” said Max. "We went through a lot of testing procedures that we might run into during a race weekend: this might be more straightforward for a power unit manufacturer that has been in the game a long time, but when you are new, you need to test it all."
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 1
© Getty Images
Looking at the day, it was all okay and we didn't run into trouble, which was the most important thing
And his work with DM01 certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons on day one, with a number of rivals’ team members making (some speculative and fairly wild) claims about the power unit’s deployment capability and with a bunch of Max’s competitors trying to emulate the Dutchman’s downshifting regen tactics on day two.
The waiting game - Day 2
On Thursday morning it was Isack’s turn at the wheel of the new car, or it would have been if not for a hydraulic leak that put paid to his running after a single lap.
However, after a morning spent working on procedure and greater familiarisation – “I’ve known the people here for a while now, but it’s great to be working with them again in an environment like this” – the team got him out on track in the afternoon. And once again the RB22 looked solid, with Isack adding another 470.844 km and a further 86 laps to the week’s totals.
Isack's Day
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 2
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Once I got out on track, I felt good in the car, so we can be pleased with today's work.
“The day didn’t start as we had hoped because of the issue, but it’s pre-season and these things happen,” he said afterwards. “Although we had less mileage than others, we made the most of it and gathered plenty of data. We managed to complete several of our programmes in a short timeframe, so it’s reassuring to know that the morning disruption hasn’t affected our overall plan. Once I got out on track, I felt good in the car, so we can be pleased with today's work."
The development game - Day 3
The final day saw both drivers at the wheel, with Max kicking off proceedings with 61 morning laps. Isack added another 59 in the afternoon as RB22 once again performed flawlessly. And after the Frenchman had been pushed back into the garage and the crew began the process of shutting up shop for a few days, Technical Director Pierre Waché pronounced himself happy with the progress made so far and optimistic for the improvements to come.
Max's Morning Session
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 3
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Whether it will be enough to win races, we don’t know, we will just focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can.
“It’s been quite positive with the mileage done this week. We need to make sure the car continues to develop a lot more to improve the issue on the balance side, and we know that there is a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “Our drivers are very motivated and have given us a lot of feedback on where we can improve the car and how we can change the direction of development.”
He also singled out the performance of the PU for praise.
“In general, Red Bull Ford Powertrains has done a remarkable job as a start-up; in three and a half years we have created a power unit and have it out running on track, which is fantastic,” he said. “The second step is to see where we are sitting compared to others and improve. There were a few teams which were clearly very quick, and it looks like we are behind, so there is still a lot to improve. Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari are there at the top. It is a massive learning curve; there are plenty of unknowns and a lot to do. We have been evaluating our weaknesses and strengths and are just focusing on improving the car. We go into next week looking at what we can bring to the car to make it better and solve the issues we have identified."
Isacks Afternoon Session
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 2
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
True performance and pace are always hard to judge in pre-season, but we can be happy with the reliability we’ve had from the power unit this week.
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Week 2
Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Laurent Mekies has a way of distilling things down to the essential, and as pre-season testing came to a close in Bahrain on Friday, the team boss summed up the outcome pretty well. “We have a lot of very hard work ahead of us to be at the level we want,” he said. “That’s our next mountain to climb, and all of us will be climbing it together, as one team.”
That’s our next mountain to climb, and all of us will be climbing it together, as one team.
That might sound daunting, but it shouldn’t. If Melbourne is the nearest summit, then the two official tests in Sakhir have taken the team to Base Camp Two. Over the course of six days in Bahrain, RB22/DM01 pairing got through 672 laps. There were glitches along the way, but overall, the vast majority of test items on the agenda were completed, the data haul was enormous, and familiarity with the all-new chassis/power unit combination grew, and that became abundantly clear across the final three days at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Day 1
The test kicked off with Isack in the hot seat. Except he wasn’t. The Wednesday morning session was a non-starter, as a drop in coolant pressure kept RB22 in the garage, and Isack only managed 13 laps before the lunch break.
The Frenchman’s afternoon was much more positive, however, and after sticking 54 more laps on the board, he lauded the rejigged and “really packed” programme he got through.
Isack's Day
“I feel better than last week already with the car,” he said. “Compared to last week, I have a better read on the car balance, so I’m very happy. There’s still plenty of things to improve, but I’m excited to go into the third day knowing that Max is driving tomorrow and there’s going to be even more learning to apply."
Isack Looking Happy in Bahrain
© Getty Images
Compared to last week, I have a better read on the car balance so I’m very happy.
Day 2
Max’s final full day was even more full, with the four-time champion pounding through 139 laps of the Sakhir track as the team shifted focus to race stints.
Max's Day
“As a team, it was good to focus on longer run performance,” he said. “We made some adjustments to the setup, which has given us some good direction overnight.”
There was a note of caution, however, regarding the new Pirelli rubber on offer in 2026.
Max happy with Testing in Bahrain 2026
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
We made some adjustments to the set up, which has given us some good direction overnight.
“The tyres are super sensitive, so there’s still a lot of analysis required there,” he said. “On Friday, we will aim to get as many laps as we can between us.”
“We had a slow start to the day with low mileage in the morning after losing pressure in one of the coolant circuits. So, like last week, we made the most of the afternoon with a really packed programme, and I feel better than last week already with the car. The standing starts were fun, hopefully we keep the same momentum into Melbourne. For me, compared to last week, I have a better read on the car balance so I’m very happy. There’s still plenty of things to improve, but I’m excited to go into the third day knowing that Max is driving tomorrow and there’s going to be even more learning to apply."
“As a team, it was good to focus on longer run performance today. We made some adjustments to the set up, which has given us some good direction overnight. Having a full day of running was positive. The tyres are super sensitive so there’s still a lot of analysis required there. On Friday, we will aim to get as many laps as we can between us. There is still a lot to understand, so we hope to get as much data on the car as we can ahead of Melbourne”.
Day 3
Both drivers were at the wheel on the final day, with Isack up first, and after 59 final test laps, the Frenchman said he had enjoyed the process of fine-tuning the first of a new generation of cars.
“I feel good with the direction we took. The pace on long runs and high fuel was also good. When I started in F1, the car was already more or less fully developed. I’ve enjoyed giving more inputs and steering the team in the right direction. I’m very happy with the learnings from this week and I'm excited to go racing in Melbourne."
Max completed the final afternoon, putting in 65 laps and finishing with the test’s fifth quickest time overall, a 1:33.109.
But, as any F1 fan knows, testing isn’t about lap time, as Laurent reiterated.
“Performance? Even with all our technology and simulation tools, everyone will only start to get a partial idea of the pecking order down the pit lane after Saturday’s qualifying session in Albert Park.”
And that comes next. F1 2026 starts in a little under two weeks’ time in Melbourne. A fortnight of furious analysis, simulation and development now awaits, and then, when the green light goes on at the end of the pit lane in Melbourne, there’ll be nowhere to hide. Bring it on.
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Through The Lens: The Best Pictures From Bahrain
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 1
© Getty Images
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 1
© Getty Images
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 1
© Getty Images
2026 Bahrain Pre Season Testing - Week 1, Day 1
© Getty Images
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Win 1 of 5 Official RB22 Posters By Automobilist
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