Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 52F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Rain. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low around 45F. S winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
Updated: February 18, 2026 @ 11:49 am
SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Mercedes driver George Russell was fastest on the first day of Formula 1's final testing event ahead of the new season, edging McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on Wednesday.
In the afternoon session at the Bahrain International Circuit, Russell had a time of 1:33.459, surpassing Piastri’s 1:33.739 achieved in the morning. Leclerc finished 0.28 behind the leader.
World champion Lando Norris was half a second back in fourth place.
It is the second three-day testing event to be held in Bahrain this year ahead of the opening race of the season in Australia next month.
The teams tested their new cars earlier in the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Regulation changes have made cars smaller and lighter, with key roles being the charging of an on-board battery and using electrical energy to boost speed.
Max Verstappen, who last week said the new cars are no fun to drive and that the series no longer feels like F1, sat out both sessions.
Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar finished sixth fastest despite managing just 13 laps in the morning session with a water system issue.
Verstappen will be involved in a full session on Thursday.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was limited to 28 laps due to a power unit issue in the morning session.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Sat, 2/28, 1-4 pm Congregational Church, San Mateo and Sun, 3/1, 10am-noon, First Presbyteri… Read moreHEAR NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION - AND DEMOCRACY - ADVOCATE REV. JIM ANTAL IN SAN MATEO AND PALO ALTO
With playing described as “stylish and full of fire,” Ensemble Mirable has captivated listen… Read moreEnsemble Mirable: Baroque Masterpieces on period instruments
“Powerful, moving, and exhilarating” Read moreSongs For A New World
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Connie Weiss said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.