Antonelli Leads Day Five Amid Aston Martin’s Ongoing Struggles

Kimi Antonelli showcased impressive speed during Day Five of Formula 1’s pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Mercedes driver clocked a remarkable time of 1:32.803, marking him as the fastest among 2026-spec machinery. This performance put him over six tenths ahead of any competitor prior to this day.

Antonelli Tops the Time Sheets

Antonelli’s standout lap narrowly eclipsed Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who clocked 1:32.861 later in the day. Throughout the session, teams like McLaren and Red Bull consistently exchanged the top lap times, with Mercedes also joining the competition periodically.

Fastest Lap Highlights

• Lando Norris initiated the day’s fast laps with 1:34.625.
• Max Verstappen quickly improved to 1:33.579, edging out Norris by only 0.005 seconds.
• Norris then responded with 1:33.453, which was 0.006 seconds quicker than George Russell’s best from the previous day.
• In the afternoon, Verstappen managed a top time of 1:33.162 on C3 tires.

As Piastri took over the MCL40 from Norris, he also delivered competitive times on the C2 and C3 tires. However, Antonelli swiftly reclaimed the lead with his astounding lap time.

Team Performances and Challenges

Both McLaren and Mercedes were highly productive in terms of laps, completing 158 and 156 laps, respectively. Verstappen led with 139 laps logged throughout the day.

Ferrari’s Struggles

Ferrari faced difficulties, as Lewis Hamilton only managed five laps before spending the rest of the morning session in the garage due to mechanical issues. Ultimately, Hamilton completed 78 laps, achieving a best time of 1:33.408.

Other Notable Performances

• Franco Colapinto from Alpine had a strong showing with a success lap of 1:33.818 on C5 tires.
• Nico Hulkenberg completed a solid lap of 1:33.987 for Audi, despite facing hydraulics issues.
• Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson also had productive days, though their times remained behind those of Antonelli and his closest rivals.

Aston Martin’s Troubles Continue

Aston Martin endured another challenging testing day. Fernando Alonso managed only 68 laps with a personal best of 1:37.472—significantly off the pace set by the leaders. The team previously dealt with a power unit problem and experienced more setbacks with technical issues during the session.

Race Start Trials

Race start simulations highlighted the varying performance levels among the teams. Hamilton demonstrated an impressive launch out of the grid, while Norris struggled compared to his peers. Overall, most teams participated in these trials, except for Aston Martin and Audi.

Day Five Results Summary

As pre-season testing continues, teams will aim to refine their performance ahead of the upcoming season. The data collected during these sessions will be crucial in determining each team’s potential for the year.