FERRARI HEARTBREAK: LEWIS HAMILTON TRIGGERS LATE RED FLAG AS SF-26 BREAKS DOWN
Kimi Antonelli sets the pace for Mercedes on Day 3 in Bahrain. Analyse the 2026 engine loophole and Hamilton’s late red flag.
Kimi Antonelli bounced back from a rough Bahrain test and ended up setting the fastest time for Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton brought out a late red flag.
Antonelli barely got any running on Day 2, just three laps, thanks to a power unit swap. He wasn’t even supposed to get back in the car until Friday afternoon. George Russell took over in the morning, finishing up his last stint of the test.
Russell looked strong, clocking a 1:33.918 and putting in 78 laps. He edged out both Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who were right behind him on the timesheets. Verstappen didn’t run in the afternoon; he handed his car over to Isack Hadjar.
Antonelli didn’t hit the track until well into the second hour of the afternoon session. Once he did, he came out swinging, dropping quick laps right away. It was clear he was running on low fuel and hunting for pure pace.
He jumped up to third, then shaved his time down to a 1:33.900, just 0.018s faster than Russell. Not long after, Antonelli went even quicker with a 1:33.669, ending the day a quarter of a second clear of everyone else.
Hamilton held onto third, about half a second back. He racked up nearly 150 laps before his Ferrari broke down with just 10 minutes left, stopping at the bottom of the hill near Turn 8. Honestly, this might’ve just been a “run dry” test teams do that all the time since everyone got back out there for the final few minutes, though under VSC while the FIA ran system checks.
Elsewhere, Oscar Piastri logged a whopping 153 laps for McLaren, almost three full race distances.
Hadjar slotted into sixth behind Verstappen, with Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman, and Nico Hülkenberg rounding out the top ten.
Plenty of other drivers were out, too. Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Perez all got some laps in. Lawson, in twelfth, was the first to hit 100 laps; he finished the day with 119.
SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON CADILLAC’S FIRST FOUR RACES OF 2026 F1 SEASON
Discover why Sergio Perez is confident in Cadillac’s 2026 path despite urgent needs for better pace and reliability fixes.
Sergio Perez didn’t waste time sharing his thoughts on Cadillac after the first four races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Cadillac shows up in 2026 as F1’s newest team, but honestly, not a lot of people expected fireworks right away. With veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Perez behind the wheel, the team’s start has been a mix, some moments full of promise, others derailed by reliability issues.
Still, Cadillac isn’t just stuck at the back. Lately, they’ve been right there fighting with Aston Martin and even managed to split them in Miami, which turned a few heads.
Perez knows the team is at risk of falling behind in this crazy-fast development race, though. “We still have work to do, but I’m confident we’re on the right path,” he told reporters, including Motorsport Week.
He added, “Sometimes, once tyre degradation sets in, we can hang with the midfield, but they always seem to find another gear. There’s a long way to go this season, but we’re in a rush to find more pace. We know Aston will get stronger, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Racing Aston Martin has actually brought Perez some enjoyment. He especially likes battling Fernando Alonso, calling those fights fair and satisfying. Still, he pointed out a weak spot: “We’re having fun with them. Racing Fernando is always great because he’s so fair. But we struggled with tyre degradation; we burnt through them too quickly. We picked the hard compound, but honestly, looking back, I should’ve gone with the soft.”
He said there’s plenty to analyse, and really, the key is getting a better grip on their car as they look ahead to Canada. “We don’t have much time, but in the short term, we need to fix the degradation. We have some ideas, but putting them together is our biggest challenge in the next few weeks.”
Cadillac may be the new kid on the block and still finding its feet, but it’s already starting to make an impact. The road out of the lower ranks won’t be easy, but they’re moving in the right direction.
HOW KIMI ANTONELLI’S THREE-RACE WIN STREAK IS REDEFINING THE MERCEDES TEAM HIERARCHY
With a 43-second gap in Miami, Antonelli proves he’s ready to lead the World Championship. Can Russell bounce back in Canada?
David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 driver, recently pointed out that Kimi Antonelli might be on track to overtake George Russell as Mercedes’ team leader.
Antonelli has been on an impressive run, clinching victories in the last three races and pulling ahead by 20 points over his main competitor and teammate, Russell.
At the Miami race, the young Italian once again outperformed his more seasoned teammate, with Russell managing only fourth place, trailing by 43 seconds.
Coulthard acknowledged Antonelli’s rapid rise in 2026, which is just his second season in F1. He highlighted Antonelli’s strengths and suggested that the Italian is, in many ways, now leading the Mercedes team.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast.
Despite being relatively new, Antonelli has shown resilience, dealing not only with the pressure from a driver like Lando ready to strike but also with technical glitches like inconsistent paddle shifts. Coulthard mentioned how Antonelli kept his cool even when his engineer, Bono, was trying to help troubleshoot the issue in a tense moment.
“I think he’s earned the right to lead the World Championship,” Coulthard added, noting that this situation probably feels uncomfortable for George. Still, the expectations now lean heavily toward Antonelli leading the team, especially based on recent results.
Coulthard also pointed out that Russell has the experience and skill to reclaim his position as the team’s lead driver, but emphasised that only one can come out on top; someone must finish first and the other second.
The rivalry between them might start opening doors for other teams. Coulthard noted that improvements from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were already noticeable, especially in Miami.
“Winning in the best car isn’t always straightforward. Many have tried and struggled,” he said.
For Russell, who is feeling the weight of this momentum shift, the upcoming race in Canada will be crucial if he wants to close the gap and halt Antonelli’s winning streak.
