F1 testing 2026: How each team performed over six days of running

Henry Valantine 21 Feb 2026 10:00 AM

F1 testing results from every team in Bahrain.

A closer look at how every team performed across every day in testing.

With two three-day F1 testing weeks now complete, we’ve taken a look at how each team performed over the entirety of the official pre-season.

The first shakedown in Barcelona took place behind closed doors, and because the lap times and counts reported were unofficial, we’re delving into official testing alone to see which teams clocked the highest, and lowest, mileage ahead of the new season.

F1 testing 2026: Each team’s overall lap count and best times

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Because of the all-new regulations, clocking as many kilometres as possible has been absolutely vital for the teams. Not only to see how they may match up to their rivals, but to inform setup directions, see which upgrades worked, and potentially inform the car’s development path for the season ahead.

So with Week 1 (days 1-3) and Week 2 (days 4-6) in mind, let’s take you through each team’s test in brief:

McLaren

Week 1 lap count: 422
Week 2 lap count: 395
Total: 817
Fastest lap: 1:32.861, Oscar Piastri [Day 5]

Jointly topping the lap count in the first week and being close to the top again this week, McLaren was the only team to cross the 800-lap mark in Bahrain across pre-season.

Being in and around the top for most of the time too, Zak Brown and Andrea Stella expect the reigning champions to be among the frontrunners, but not necessarily quicker than Mercedes or Ferrari at this stage.

Mercedes

Week 1 lap count: 282
Week 2 lap count: 432
Total: 714
Fastest lap: 1:32.803, Kimi Antonelli [Day 5]

Mercedes did little to diminish the team’s pre-season favourites tag with both fast and reliable running through much of testing, though a small issue for Kimi Antonelli on the final day ended his running 90 minutes prematurely.

The much-discussed power unit compression ratio issue will be put to rest with an upcoming vote, so the team will be able to approach the season with clarity. Such was the pace of others, though, that it appears not to be a dominant car at this stage.

Red Bull

Week 1 lap count: 343
Week 2 lap count: 329
Total: 672
Fastest lap: 1:33.109, Max Verstappen [Day 6]

The way Red Bull has integrated its own power unit for the first time has been remarkable in how little it seems to have been discussed. To do this from scratch for the first time, and for the engine to run so reliably, is no short order.

On-track issues were few and far between for the Milton Keynes-based squad, and though team principal Laurent Mekies believes the team to be just behind the front pair, Red Bull appears there or thereabouts at the start of these new regulations.

More analysis from F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain

F1 testing conclusions: Bring back V10s, fresh Aston Martin hope, secret Ferrari weapon

Ferrari unveils radical exhaust flap ahead of F1 2026 aero fight

Ferrari

Week 1 lap count: 420
Week 2 lap count: 334
Total: 754
Fastest lap: 1:31.992, Charles Leclerc [Day 6]

Charles Leclerc bettered himself over and over again on the final day of testing – beating his own benchmark, which was continually the fastest lap of the day – on at least five occasions. He set the fastest lap of testing and, while still only testing, that will have raised hope among the tifosi.

So too was how the Ferrari was able to get itself off the line during practice starts, the potential rotating innovation brought to the rear wing, its reliability and overall pace. Every rival now has Ferrari among the favourites, so that pre-season hope with which Ferrari fans have become so familiar appears to be here again.

Williams

Week 1 lap count: 422
Week 2 lap count: 368
Total: 790
Fastest lap: 1:34.342, Carlos Sainz [Day 6]

After the team’s strongest season for almost a decade, Williams had hoped to continue that forward momentum heading into this new regulatory era.

A commendable lap count in testing is among the best of the lot, with Mercedes power likely to be both a strong and reliable asset. Carlos Sainz was open in admitting the team is likely to be behind the frontrunners, but how far behind is yet to be seen.

Racing Bulls

Week 1 lap count: 326
Week 2 lap count: 407
Total: 733
Fastest lap: 1:34.149, Arvid Lindblad [Day 6]

Arvid Lindblad will have earned a lie down after a whopping 165 laps on Day 6 alone – just six shy of three full race distances around Bahrain.

Red Bull’s sister outfit quietly compiled plenty of data using the all-new RBPT-Ford power unit, and we’ll wait and see how much of a dent the team will be able to make in the points-paying positions this season.

Aston Martin

Week 1 lap count: 206
Week 2 lap count: 128
Total: 334
Fastest lap: 1:35.974, Lance Stroll [Day 4]

In isolation, 334 laps over six days for Aston Martin is still plenty of mileage with which to work, eight laps shy of averaging a race distance per day, but after testing, it’s tough to know where the team stands.

Power unit suppliers Honda admitted a battery issue for Fernando Alonso and a shortage of parts contributed to the team’s last day and a half being almost entirely curtailed, so there is much to work on at Aston ahead of the new season.

Haas

Week 1 lap count: 390
Week 2 lap count: 404
Total: 794
Fastest lap: 1:33.487, Oliver Bearman [Day 6]

Second in the overall lap count in Bahrain, Haas will know a lot about the VF-26 heading into the new season, as the team put together solid runs every day in testing.

Its place in the pecking order is likely to be among the congested midfield battle, but a sense of strength and stability is a solid platform from which to work for the grid’s smallest outfit.

Audi

Week 1 lap count: 353
Week 2 lap count: 357
Total: 710
Fastest lap: 1:33.755, Gabriel Bortoleto [Day 6]

Like Red Bull, Audi had the run-up of taking on the existing infrastructure at Sauber, but has brought its own power unit to Formula 1 for the first time, and the team has been able to run consistently throughout.

A strong start all around for one of the new factory constructors this season, though the team expects to be in and around the midfield battle when the season gets going.

Alpine

Week 1 lap count: 318
Week 2 lap count: 359
Total: 677
Fastest lap: 1:33.421, Pierre Gasly [Day 6]

The consensus appears to be that Alpine has managed to pull itself away from the bottom of the standings, where Team Enstone found itself last season.

Franco Colapinto spoke highly of being able to complete eight Grand Prix distances in shakedown and test running, which no doubt will prove invaluable to him as he starts a season on the grid for the first time, after two mid-season arrivals. He and Pierre Gasly gathered of mileage between them, so integrating Mercedes power has not proven to be an issue.

Cadillac

Week 1 lap count: 320
Week 2 lap count: 266
Total: 586
Fastest lap: 1:35.290, Valtteri Bottas [Day 6]

The positive for Cadillac is that its first machine has managed to run pretty smoothly overall in testing, without too many major hiccups, and for an all-new outfit, that will be the main priority.

The drivers have made it clear there is catching up to be done development-wise, and many expect Cadillac to be towards the back of the field to begin with, but having more to gain can mean bigger steps can be made more quickly with upgrades.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!