Leclerc leads Norris in 2nd day of Formula 1’s preseason testing in Bahrain

By Canadian Press on February 12, 2026.

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Charles Leclerc led the way for Ferrari on the second day of Formula 1’s preseason testing in Bahrain, going fastest by half a second from champion Lando Norris on Thursday.

While some rivals hit reliability issues, Leclerc’s performance was an encouraging sign for Ferrari following its winless 2025 season.

McLaren’s Norris, who had been fastest Wednesday, racked up the most laps on Thursday with 149, close to triple a full Bahrain Grand Prix race distance.

Oliver Bearman was third-fastest for Haas, which had another strong day after Esteban Ocon was fourth on Wednesday.

There were issues at Mercedes, where Kimi Antonelli managed just three laps in the morning before handing over to George Russell, and at Red Bull, where Isack Hadjar spent much of the morning waiting for the team to get his car running.

Teams can only run one car on track in the test and four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari were among those to sit out the day.

There are three days of testing this week, with three more next week. The first race of the season is the Australian Grand Prix next month.

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AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one

The Associated Press