F1 2026 Pre-Season Testing: Red Bull Emerges as Benchmark, McLaren Raises Safety Concerns

SAKHIR, Bahrain — Formula 1's new era officially began this week as all 11 teams converged at the Bahrain International Circuit for three days of crucial pre-season testing. With the cold conditions of Barcelona's shakedown now behind them, teams finally got a proper glimpse of their all-new 2026-spec cars under the warm, dry conditions that more closely resemble race weekends.

Against the backdrop of F1's traditional preseason smoke and mirrors, several clear trends emerged from the Bahrain test: Red Bull's new engine program has silenced doubters, Aston Martin faces genuine early-season struggles, Williams has recovered from its Barcelona absence, and McLaren is pushing for urgent rule changes on safety grounds before the season opener in Melbourne on March 8.

Red Bull's Engine Exceeds Expectations

For all the patience that Red Bull requested regarding its brand-new engine project — which Alpine's Steve Nielsen once described as "a hole in the ground" — Bahrain served as a major confidence boost for the Ford-supported program. Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar admitted the engine was "way beyond" expectations.

"Even within the team, they were not completely satisfied," Hadjar said. "In Barcelona, day one, I did 110 laps straight away, so I was, in a very positive way, surprised. For a team that started the project three years ago, it's very impressive."

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff acknowledged Red Bull's strong position, noting after the first day: "We've seen a very, very strong Verstappen, so we have to get our act together, all of us." When pushed on how impressed he's been by Red Bull, Wolff joked: "Well, I was hoping that they were worse than they are! They've done a very good job. The car, the power unit, are the benchmark at the moment, I would say."

Aston Martin's Concerning Start

While most teams showed progress in Bahrain, Aston Martin emerged as the primary concern. The Adrian Newey-designed, Honda-powered AMR26 managed the fewest laps of any team (206) and showed little sign of competitive pace. Lance Stroll cast a bleak view on Thursday, estimating the team was significantly off the pace.

"Right now, we look like we're four seconds off the top teams, four and a half seconds," Stroll said. "It's impossible to know what fuel loads and everything people are running. But now we need to try and find four seconds of performance."

Teammate Fernando Alonso didn't put quite as large a number on it but acknowledged the team was not where it wanted to be: "We are realistic, we will not be the fastest in Melbourne. We started on the slow side and on the back foot."

Williams Recovers from Barcelona Absence

Williams, which missed the Barcelona shakedown entirely due to production delays, eased concerns in Bahrain with solid, reliable running. The team completed 422 laps, tying with McLaren for the most mileage during the test week.

Team Principal James Vowles confirmed the improved mood at Williams: "Yeah, definitely. It was a tough winter, there's no doubt about it. But what's great is if we took yesterday, for example, the car ran faultlessly just from start to finish, and actually no major vices which is what we're hoping for here."

Vowles expressed confidence that Williams can catch up despite missing Barcelona testing: "Short answer, yes. There is something that's good about being in fairly constant conditions, which is Bahrain. Without wet weather and good baselines, we're able to move the car on very quickly, so I'm very confident of that."

McLaren Pushes for Safety Rule Changes

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has called for urgent changes to the start procedure and other aspects of the new regulations before the season begins, citing safety concerns. Stella highlighted three key areas: starts, overtaking, and drivers lifting and coasting for energy harvesting.

For starts, Stella raised concerns about all cars being ready to pull away from the grid, given the time it takes for the turbo to spool up. Adjusting the timings for the start procedure would be a potential solution.

"For overtaking, Stella noted the potential for some big accidents, such as Mark Webber's airborne crash at Valencia in 2012, if a car opts to lift off to harvest energy at the end of a straight when being closely followed by another car," according to reports.

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri supported Stella's concerns, particularly regarding the start procedure: "I think the starts are probably the most obvious one for now. Overtaking is always going to be tough to manage until you've actually had a race. Whether we use Straight Mode at the start or not as well, because I think a pack of 22 cars with a couple of hundred points less downforce sounds like a recipe for disaster to me."

New Entries Make Steady Progress

Both Cadillac and Audi showed promising signs in their first public F1 tests. Cadillac completed 320 laps, putting it ahead of Alpine, Mercedes and Aston Martin for mileage despite some cooling issues. The team, with veteran drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez, appears far ahead of struggling newcomers from previous F1 eras.

Audi, which took over the Sauber team at the end of last year, racked up 354 laps despite some teething issues. Its new slim sidepod design attracted attention in the pit lane, signaling its hunt for performance after overcoming initial hurdles with the new car and engine in Barcelona.

Drivers Adjust to Radical New Cars

Max Verstappen's description of the 2026 cars as "anti-racing" and "like Formula E on steroids" highlighted just how different these machines are to drive. Drivers are still adjusting to the new cars and developing unusual techniques to extract performance.

One notable tactic is dropping to first gear on corners that previously required only third gear. George Russell explained: "Going into first gear was helpful to maintain high revs on the engine and keep the turbo spinning. The offset is that it can destabilize the car."

The start procedure also requires significant adjustment, with cars sounding different when making practice starts as they need time to spool up the turbo before pulling away.

With the F1 Commission meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, teams will have one final opportunity to discuss potential rule changes before the season begins in Australia on March 8. McLaren's safety concerns, combined with the competitive picture that sees Red Bull emerging as the early benchmark, set the stage for what promises to be a dramatic start to F1's new era.