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F1 LIVE | All the reactions from Bahrain winter testing, as Ferrari take the fight to Mercedes

09:00, 21 Feb
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Welcome to GPblog's daily liveblog. Follow all the news and reactions after the conclusion of pre-season winter testing in Bahrain, as we begin the build up to the first Grand Prix of 2026 in Melbourne!

How the final day in Bahrain unfolded

It was a really impressive final day in Bahrain from Charles Leclerc and Ferrari - the Monegasque driver not only completed 132 laps, but he became the first driver to dip his lap times below the 1:32s across all the six days in Sakhir, his rapid 1:31.992 was nine tenths ahead of second-placed Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen rounding out the top three.
Ferrari's super Test 2, where they also brought a couple of fascinating upgrades - including an upside-down rear wing - has all of the grid talking. Until the final day, Mercedes were at the top of the timing charts and laps completed, but an energy issue limited Kimi Antonelli's Friday morning running to just 49 laps, and the Italian also identified their race starts as "weak point" when compared with Ferrari.
Aston Martin once again had a difficult week. After causing two red flags in the first two days due to power issues, engine suppliers Honda released a statement on Day 3 saying that the Silverstone-based outfit had to limit their running. Lance Stroll only completed six laps across both sessions, and it is clear that Adrian Newey's team have an awful lot of work to do before Melbourne.
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