Red Bull suffer set back in Bahrain after hitting problems
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Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Red Bull will not be on track for the first two hours on Day 2 of Bahrain winter testing after encountering an issue overnight, GPblog can confirm.
Isack Hadjar was scheduled to take on the full day of testing, after Max Verstappen completed 136 laps across both morning and afternoon schedules on Day 1.
Overnight issue for Red Bull?
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
It is not yet been confirmed what sort of problem the Milton Keynes-based team have found, but Isack Hadjar's running will apparently be limited to just two hours in the morning sessions.
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The young Frenchman also suffered problems on Day 2 of the Barcelona shakedown, after he spun out in wet conditions which meant Red Bull had to bring replacement parts ahead of the final day of running.
This latest development for Red Bull will surely disappoint after what was a strong Day 1 in Bahrain.
As well as his racking up 136 laps, Verstappen impressed on the timing charts, clocking in a best time just 0.13 seconds behind world champion, McLaren's Lando Norris.
Red Bull the early favourites according Wolff
Red Bull's pace was so impressive, it led to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claiming that they are the early favourites in 2026.
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The Mercedes boss even revealed Verstappen was one second a lap quicker on the straights in Bahrain.
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