Bahrain Testing: Driver Lineup Shuffle for Afternoon Session
Following a morning led by Max Verstappen, F1 teams are rotating drivers for the critical afternoon session in Bahrain testing. Kimi Antonelli gets his Mercedes debut, with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris also taking over, as running shifts into the representative night-time conditions of the race weekend.
Max Verstappen will continue to lead Red Bull's testing program into the night, while several top teams are rotating drivers for the crucial afternoon session in Bahrain. Kimi Antonelli gets his turn in the Mercedes, Charles Leclerc takes over at Ferrari, and Lando Norris steps into the McLaren, following a morning where Verstappen set the pace ahead of Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
Why it matters:
Pre-season testing is a rare opportunity for teams to evaluate their cars under representative conditions and for drivers, especially rookies like Antonelli, to gain vital mileage. The driver swaps in the afternoon session provide crucial comparative data on car behavior between teammates and allow teams to assess performance under the transition to cooler, night-time conditions that mirror qualifying and race times.
The details:
- The morning session was topped by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, followed by McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Mercedes' George Russell.
- The only red flag of the day so far was caused by Alpine's Franco Colapinto, though the car was recovered.
- Key driver changes for the afternoon/night session include:
- Mercedes: Kimi Antonelli replaces George Russell.
- Ferrari: Charles Leclerc takes over from Lewis Hamilton.
- McLaren: Lando Norris replaces Oscar Piastri.
- Other confirmed drivers for the session are Esteban Ocon (Haas), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), Alex Albon (Williams), Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), and Sergio Pérez (Cadillac).
- Teams focused on accumulating heavy mileage and collecting data during the morning, a trend expected to continue into the final four hours of track time.
What's next:
The afternoon will transition into night running, offering the most valuable data yet as teams simulate the actual twilight conditions of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. The performance and reliability trends established in this session will form the foundational narrative heading into the final day of testing and, ultimately, the first race of the 2026 season.