Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Antonelli keeps Mercedes on top as Aston Martin stop again on penultimate test day.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli lowered the best time seen so far in testing to 1’32.803, getting within three seconds of last year’s pole position time at the Bahrain International Circuit.
19th Feb 2026
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Max Verstappen was the first driver to improve on the quickest time from the first part of the day’s test. He went on to cover the highest mileage of any driver on the penultimate day. Oscar Piastri eventually returned McLaren to the top of the times with a best lap of 1’32.861. However with less than an hour remaining Antonelli narrowly beat that in his Mercedes.

Having done only five laps in the morning, Lewis Hamilton was quick to rejoin the track when the session resumed. Ferrari switched back to their conventional rear wing design having tested an unusual new model which rotated its main flap 180 degrees when activated. With around 20 minutes left, Hamilton moved up to fourth place in the times. The Ferrari arguably looked best when teams performed their practice starts at the end of the session, Hamilton pulling off the line noticeably more smoothly than his rivals and arriving at the first corner before them.

Only nine cars participated in the race start test at the end of the day. It briefly looked like there would only be eight, as Piastri had trouble changing up from first gear as he left the pits and temporarily parked in the turn one bypass before rejoining.

‘Antonelli keeps Mercedes on top’;

https://www.racefans.net/2026/02/19/...mate-test-day/


Test Times: Bahrain 19-02
19/02/2026
Pitpass

Today's Times - All Times Unofficial
Name Team Tyres Laps Time Gap
Antonelli Mercedes C3 79 1:32.803 129.548 mph
Piastri McLaren C3 86 1:32.861 0.058
Verstappen Red Bull C3 139 1:33.162 0.359
Hamilton Ferrari C3 78 1:33.408 0.605
Norris McLaren C4 72 1:33.453 0.650
Colapinto Alpine C5 120 1:33.818 1.015
Hulkenberg Audi C4 73 1:33.987 1.184
Russell Mercedes C3 77 1:34.111 1.308
Ocon Haas C4 58 1:34.201 1.398
Lawson Racing Bulls C4 106 1:34.532 1.729

Best Times To Date
Date Driver Team Tyres Time Gap
19-Feb Antonelli Mercedes C3 1:32.803 129.548 mph
19-Feb Piastri McLaren C3 1:32.861 0.058
19-Feb Verstappen Red Bull C3 1:33.162 0.359
19-Feb Hamilton Ferrari C3 1:33.408 0.605
19-Feb Norris McLaren C4 1:33.453 0.650
18-Feb Russell Mercedes C3 1:33.459 0.656
18-Feb Leclerc Ferrari C3 1:33.739 0.936
19-Feb Colapinto Alpine C5 1:33.818 1.015
19-Feb Hulkenberg Audi C4 1:33.987 1.184
18-Feb Norris McLaren C3 1:34.052 1.249

‘Test Times’;

https://www.pitpass.com/82071/Test-Times-Bahrain-19-02


Max Verstappen leads the way on laps, while Ferrari hit problems on Day 2 in Bahrain
19 Feb
Henry Eccles
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen led the way on laps completed on Day 2 of the final week of winter testing in Bahrain, the four-time world champion was the sole Red Bull driver on track on Thursday, completing 138 laps in total.

Bahrain Test 2, Day 2: lap count per driver
1 Verstappen 139
2 Colapinto 120
3 Albon 117
4 Lawson 106
5 Piastri 86
6 Antonelli 79
7 Hamilton 78
8 Russell 77
9 Hulkenberg 73
10 Norris 72

‘Lap count’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/max-v...y-2-in-bahrain


Antonelli quickest on Day 2
19/02/2026
Pitpass

It's been said that the upgrades will come thick and fast this season, and Red Bull has already introduced a new floor, engine cover and sidepods, with other teams also adding new bits here and there as the data is analysed.

Yesterday, Lawrence Stroll was spotted in conversation with Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile. Nothing strange about that you might say, but the discussion was outside the team's motor home on the veranda, which allowed at least one enterprising soul to use AI to try and lipread their conversation.

"Red Bull looked really good until we started talking about their power unit and they turned it down, which is amusing," said James Vowles. "Of course, it is never that simple," he admitted, "but it is true the moment one team appears to be cranking up the pace, they immediately reverse into the pack to try to hide again.”

‘Upgrades will come thick and fast this season’;

https://www.pitpass.com/82072/Antone...ckest-on-Day-2


Seven things we learned from day two of F1 2026's final pre-season test
19 Feb 2026
The Race

Ferrari's taken everyone by surprise
Two lessons from race start practice
Aston Martin is only fighting Cadillac right now
Mercedes angry but still ominous
F1's 'big four' have a big margin
Trials for energy management fixes
Overtake mode isn't worth much

‘Seven’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/s...e-season-test/


Mercedes too strong for Verstappen and Red Bull in bizarrely fast long runs
19 Feb 2026
Shanna Lutgert
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen set the benchmark during the first test week in Bahrain, but it was shattered on day five by George Russell. On Thursday, Mercedes appeared to be a step ahead, while Ferrari also joined the party. George Russell also chose three stints and ran slightly longer runs than Verstappen. Norris completed one longer long run on the medium tire. What immediately stands out is that Mercedes is significantly faster than Verstappen this time around.

Does Wolff have nothing to fear anymore? Last week, the four-time world champion was over a second quicker than the German team, but now it’s the other way around. At the start of test week one, Toto Wolff still feared that Red Bull Racing would pull far ahead of Mercedes. For now, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Wolff sounded much more positive on Thursday in Bahrain.

‘Wolff positive’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/analysis/m...fast-long-runs


David Croft calls Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari a ‘rocket launcher’ after F1 testing practice start
19 Feb 2026
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

David Croft raves about Ferrari launches in F1 testing. Hamilton cleared Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the second simulated start. World feed commentator Croft couldn’t help but get excited. “Lewis Hamilton, as he did at lunchtime, getting the best start of all and takes the lead into the first corner from Kimi Antonelli and Esteban Ocon,” he said. “That Ferrari, for the second practice start in a row, has been the rocket launcher, as it were, on the grid.”

‘Ferrari a rocket launcher’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dav...ractice-start/


Adrian Newey is ‘convinced’ Aston Martin will emerge with the best chassis despite Bahrain test woes
19 Feb 2026
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Adrian Newey is ‘convinced’ that the AMR26 will have the best chassis on the grid by round eight. David Croft has full faith in Adrian Newey turning Aston Martin’s issues around, and the man himself already has a plan to do exactly that.

According to a report by DAZN commentator Antonio Lobato from inside the pit-lane at pre-season testing in Bahrain, Newey has now set a timeline for when he expects Aston Martin to emerge with the “best chassis on the grid”. Despite the Silverstone-based team looking like the weakest outfit among their rivals, the team principal is reportedly “convinced” that Aston Martin will be a step ahead of the competition in “six, seven or eight” races’ time.

‘Round eight’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/adr...ain-test-woes/

[Fortitude]

‘Total utter bulls**t’: Mercedes boss unloads over bitter F1 feud... and immediately regrets joke.
“We were told that the (engine’s) compression ratio was something illegal, which is total bullshit, utter bulls**t,” thundered Wolff during a press conference on the sidelines of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.
20th Feb 2026
AFP from Afp
Fox Sports (Australia)

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff on Thursday vigorously defended accusations of irregularities regarding the engine and fuel of his cars for the 2026 Formula One season, going so far as to joke sarcastically about being involved in the Epstein affair. For some weeks, Mercedes has been suspected by some of its rivals of having found a loophole in the new engine regulations concerning the measurement of the compression ratio and therefore the car’s power.

“We were told that the (engine’s) compression ratio was something illegal, which is total bullshit, utter bulls**t,” thundered Wolff during a press conference on the sidelines of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain. “Then they come up with a story claiming our fuel is illegal,” he continued. “I don’t know where that comes from and it starts spinning again. “Maybe tomorrow we’re inventing something else? I don’t know, I’ve been on the Epstein files, God knows what.”

Moments later Wolff appeared to backtrack on his reference to the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. “You’re not happy with me saying that, no?,” he appeared to ask his media representative. “I was too young. What? Oh, yeah, I must not say that.” The US Justice Department last month released the latest cache of so-called Epstein files -- more than three million documents, photos and videos related to its investigation into sex criminal Epstein, who died from what was determined to be suicide while in custody in 2019.

‘Total utter bulls**t’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...cc8607fb4d89eb


Red Bull engine emerges as wild card from pre-season testing
19 Feb 2026
Last Word On Sports

Red Bull have changed the narrative about their chances of being competitive in 2026, with their first ever F1 power unit exceeding expectations. The more pessimistic forecasts about Red Bull have been discarded, with the RB22 showing a solid baseline in Barcelona and Sakhir.

The question is now whether Red Bull’s package is strong enough to set the pace. At present, Laurent Mekies’ personnel are expected to be in the top four group with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Of course, being at the front and having the fastest car are two very different things. Whilst the Milton Keynes outfit continue to downplay their chances, rivals believe Red Bull are hiding their potential.

Aside from the Red Bull engine’s top speeds and horsepower, its electrical harvesting and energy saving is very strong. The Austrian machine is capable of recharging their battery extremely quickly, and – according to some analysts – faster than the other manufacturers. Although lower engine modes can hide a power unit’s brute strength, electrical efficiency is harder to obscure – and in this sense Red Bull are not going unnoticed.

‘Wild card’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...eason-testing/


What explains 'rocket' Ferrari 2026 race starts
19 Feb 2026
Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Ferrari-engined cars have turned heads at Formula 1 testing after taking off “like rockets” in the end-of-season collective practice race starts. Lewis Hamilton in the works car and Esteban Ocon in the Ferrari-powered Haas comfortably made the best getaways on Thursday evening in Bahrain, where these dress rehearsals are inconclusive but still indicative.

“I think everyone is taking it seriously, it looks like, because they were doing pre-start revs etc,” said Ocon when asked by The Race about how much could be read into the starts. “And yes, me and Lewis we rocket past everybody, pretty much. On my side they’ve put some safety before Turn 1 so I clipped after 200 metres! I was a bit frustrated, let’s say, that I had to reach the boost button to go faster. But it’s only testing and the important was the first 200 metres.”

Ocon is pleased with how repeatable the Ferrari starts are, as while it is “not quite yet the same as last year” it is already “nowhere near how it was in the beginning of the test and when we tried these cars for the first time”. “That was pretty strong the last two days, the way we started,” he said. “We're happy with it. We need to see when we go into tracks where there is much more grip on the line.”

'Rocket Ferrari’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...ing-explained/


Hamilton starts add to mounting Ferrari evidence as rotating rear wing spotted – roundup
19 Feb 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Thursday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Lewis Hamilton’s practice start in Bahrain adding to the growing evidence that Ferrari could have a key advantage at the start of F1 2026. With Ferrari debuting an innovative new rear wing design in Bahrain, here’s today’s roundup… Lewis Hamilton’s impressive practice starts in Bahrain testing has added to the theory that Ferrari could have an advantage off the line in F1 2026.

Mercedes driver George Russell claimed last week that Ferrari could have an edge with race starts due to the team’s smaller turbo compared to the opposition. F1 is trialling a revised practice start procedure in this week’s Bahrain test amid safety concerns over the F1 2026 cars, with Hamilton impressing off the line on Thursday.

‘Ferrari could have a key advantage’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...ahrain-testing


What we learned from Day 2 of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain
F1.com’s Lawrence Barretto examines the key developments from Day 2 of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain.
19 Feb 2026
Lawrence Barretto
Formula One - Official Site

The top four appear to still be the top four
Ferrari cause a scene with innovative rear wing
Aston Martin's woes continue
Mercedes enjoy ruthlessly efficient day

‘Key developments’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...99M5uL35BLatxF


Is Aston Martin in big trouble after F1’s first Bahrain test?
Late start, new Honda engine and major changes combine to create a worrying picture
19 Feb 2026
Ewan Gale
Total Motorsport

Four seconds is a metaphorical age in Formula 1, yet that was the time gap that Lance Stroll believes his Aston Martin has to overcome after a day behind the wheel at the Bahrain International Circuit. The issue facing the entire team is that if it is that far behind in what is expected to be an immense development race, it could be out of the hunt before it has even really started.

With Fernando Alonso already making his quips – suggesting a chef could drive his car after his day of running in Bahrain – and Lance Stroll already disgruntled, how patient will his father be? The businessman walked out of the paddock last week with a face like thunder as it became apparent this was not the season he would have hoped for.

While the hope will be that Newey can work his magic, there is precedent in history that this isn’t always the case. His design work on the MP4-18 led to serious issues at McLaren in 2003 that meant the car never actually raced that season, the team instead continuing with a developed iteration of its 2002 machinery. Uncompromising in so many areas, it remains to be seen if the AMR26 is the same story or suffers from other ailments.

‘Worrying picture’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/ast...-bahrain-test/


WATCH: What we learned from Day 2 of the second pre-season test in Bahrain
The F1 TV crew break down what happened during Day 2 of the second pre-season test in Bahrain.
19 Feb 2026
Formula One - Official Site

As the second day of the final 2026 pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit drew to a close, the F1 TV crew assembled to run through the key talking points. On the track, it was Kimi Antonelli who set the pace for Mercedes, leading the way from McLaren rival Oscar Piastri, the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton.

How are those respective squads looking as testing draws to a close? What about the rest of the teams up and down the pit lane? And can we start to predict a pecking order for the season opener in Australia? Also on the agenda is the rear wing element – which flips upside down in Straight-Line Mode – debuted by Ferrari, prompting plenty of chatter in the paddock.

‘Key talking points’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...CQvqCemNA7Oa7l