Temporada F1 2026 🏎

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F1 engine manufacturers to vote on mid-season 2026 rule change

Formula 1's engine manufacturers will vote next week on a mid-season introduction of an additional compression ratio test to bring an end to the ongoing technical controversy, The Race can reveal.

Following weeks of discussion between the FIA and manufacturers over the potential loophole that Mercedes has found in the regulations regarding compression ratios, it is understood that a final resolution is now on the horizon.

Sources revealed to The Race that an e-vote has been put forward by the FIA to members of the Power Unit Advisory Committee (PUAC) for revised testing procedures surrounding the 16:1 limit to be implemented this year.

The FIA later confirmed this with the following statement.

"Over recent weeks and months, the FIA and the power unit manufacturers have collaboratively developed a methodology to quantify how the compression ratio changes from ambient to operating conditions," an FIA statement read.

"Following validation of this approach, a proposal has been submitted whereby, from 1 August 2026, compliance with the compression ratio limit must be demonstrated not only at ambient conditions, but also at a representative operating temperature of 130°C.

"The vote has been submitted to the Power Unit Manufacturers, and its outcome is expected within the next 10 days and will be communicated in due course.

"As with all Formula 1 regulatory changes, any amendment remains subject to final approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council."

Sources claim that feedback for the e-vote has been requested by the end of this week, with the deadline for votes being slotted in for next Tuesday.

It is understood that this e-vote scenario is what Williams team boss James Vowles was referring to when he suggested on Wednesday that the compression ratio controversy would soon be sorted.

"There will be a resolution," he said. "Frankly, it will go away probably over the next 48 hours, is my guess."

For the addition of the extra hot test to be implemented for August, it will need to secure a super-majority within the PUAC – which requires support from four of the five manufacturers, plus the FIA and FOM.

With Ferrari, Audi, Honda and Red Bull all seeming to be eager to implement some form of hot test, their backing does seem likely.

Key then to it passing is what the FIA and FOM prefer, but the existence of the new rule proposal in the first place would suggest that the governing body feels it is important enough to act upon.

So it would be logical to suggest that it would approve the implementation of the new test procedure if the majority of manufacturers supported it.

It is not clear how representative a new 130C test will be compared to full operating conditions.

However, anything that clarifies what teams can and cannot do with regards to the compression ratios will likely be welcomed by Mercedes' rivals.

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said in Bahrain on Wednesday that key for his operation was to get a clear answer on the rules.

"We don't really mind if the regs goes left or if the regs goes right," he said. "What we absolutely want is clarity on what we can do and what we cannot do,

"That's what we are working with the FIA and the other power unit manufacturers to have this absolute clarity. I'm confident that we will reach that point."

It is not clear if any new hot test procedure will require any modifications to the Mercedes power unit to comply fully.

However, whatever the outcome of the e-vote, it means Mercedes will be able to start the campaign with a green light to continue running based on the current compliance checks that are conducted at ambient temperatures.

Any early talk of rivals wanting to take the matter to a protest has also faded away, with Ferrari last week ruling out a protest being lodged at the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has a similar view to Mekies, in that key for him is getting an answer on what is and is not allowed.

"We are not there to make a protest," he said. "We are there to have a clear regulation and to have everybody with the same understanding of the regulations. But [we] don't speak about protest."

Clarity over the test procedures coming in for August would also allow its rivals to  potentially work on designs themselves that exploit the compression ratio limit.

The Race has learned that, with the compression ratio matter being one that involves the manufacturers rather than teams, it was not discussed in Wednesday's F1 Commission meeting.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-engine-manufacturers-set-for-vote-on-mid-season-2026-rule-change/

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Gary Anderson explains Mercedes' final test upgrade package



Mercedes has arrived at this second Bahrain 2026 Formula 1 test with quite a few updates or, depending on how you look at it, additions.

The team ended the last test first and second on the timesheet, so it's obviously not afraid to show its hand in public before Melbourne, and it has further updates to shakedown here.

From front to back, we have the following on the altered W17.




Mercedes has now added that horizontal vane (red ellipse) to the outer surface of the front wing endplate. That splitter will do exactly what it says on the box: split the airflow that is arriving at the tyre, and as opposed to it getting pulled over the top of the tyre, that lower flow will be directed downwards and around the wheel. It has retained the small vane (green arrow), which is there to generate outwash.



The team has also reduced the bulk of the front brake duct (red ellipse). The larger the opening between the inside of the front wheel assembly and the side of the chassis, the less effect it will have on the performance of the airflow coming off the front wing. Also, the greater the volume of airflow that can get through between the inside of the front wheel assembly and the side of the chassis, plus what can get through the opening below the chassis, is what the rest of the underfloor has to work with. So the more airflow, the better.



A small airflow directional vane (red ellipse) has also been added to the upper surface of the sidepod. It is just behind the rear-view mirror vertical stay; this will work in conjunction with what Mercedes has also done with the cooling exits below.



This picture shows that airflow turning vane (red ellipse), but also the addition of a small hot air radiator exit. The vane will direct the mass airflow and that airflow will improve the exit airflow from the internal radiator system.

It may be that with the radiator layout it has, Mercedes had a small stagnation problem in that area so opening up an exit has simply improved the overall cooling by making full use of the radiator area.

The picture below shows that exit (green ellipse) on the other side. To me it looks a little larger than on the driver's right hand side. Normally the radiator layout is asymmetric, so perhaps Mercedes was having more of a problem with what it was cooling on the driver's left-hand side versus the right-hand side.



It also shows that Mercedes has removed the exits (red arrows) on the sides of the engine cover and even reduced the size of the rear exit (yellow line). I have moved the yellow line, which is positioned on the edge of the new engine cover exit, across to the older version and I believe it's a little narrower.

Cooling exits are the thing we see the teams change from circuit to circuit. They are dependent on circuit characteristics and ambient temperature. From what I am seeing, it looks like the heat rejection from the Mercedes power unit is well under control, as it's by no means cold in Bahrain.



It has also altered the flow detail on the floor just in front of the rear tyre. Mercedes has gone from inlet louvres to connect the airflow that is on top of the floor to what is called the tyre squirt, which the teams are trying to get to go around the outside of the tyre contact patch, to what looks like a turning vane (red ellipse). It looks like it goes inwards, but I would need to see more of it to try to understand its influence on the airflow.

The area highlighted with the red arrow looks like it has been modified, perhaps to go with what that vane has done to the airflow.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mercedes-final-test-upgrade-package-gary-anderson-verdict/

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What happened on first day of final 2026 Bahrain F1 test

George Russell ended day one of the final Formula 1 2026 pre-season test on top with a new fastest time of the Bahrain testing fortnight.

The Mercedes driver, who was one of 10 drivers in for the day's second session only, set his 1m33.459s with just over 30 minutes left on the clock to beat Oscar Piastri's previous best by 0.010 seconds.

Russell's effort was his second attempt at a push lap on a short stint on the C3 tyre. He had set the fastest first sector of all on his first attempt, only to snatch a brake into the tight Turn 10 left-hander and run deep.

Prior to that, Russell had reeled off an impressive nine-lap run on the C2 tyre where his average laptime was a 1m36.527s.

His 76-lap total was also the highest any driver managed.

The times set by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Piastri's McLaren team-mate Lando Norris and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli in the first session were good enough for third, fourth and fifth in the end-of-day times.

And the top seven - all from F1's 'big four' teams - were covered by 0.840s, with Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) sixth and seventh.

Hadjar recovered some lost ground for Red Bull after he had been limited to just 13 laps in the first session, adding 53 more after the lunch break.

He attempted a qualifying simulation towards the end of the day, though his final run on the softer C4 tyre did not yield an improvement.

Hamilton meanwhile had two extended spells of more than 20 minutes in the Ferrari garage that limited his total to 44 laps.

Williams's Carlos Sainz - on the C4 tyre - Franco Colapinto (Alpine) and Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10.


Aston Martin was responsible for the only car-induced red flag of the day when Lance Stroll spun at the end of the first hour after the lunchbreak, the AMR26 appearing to lose drive as Stroll downshifted for the Turn 11 left-hander.

He did manage 26 laps by the end of the day, and the 15th-fastest time, 2.515s off the pace, but Aston Martin's combined lap total was still the lowest of all - with Stroll and Fernando Alonso completing 54, five fewer than Cadillac pair Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez managed.

The final 10 minutes of the session were reserved for procedural checks, which included the FIA testing a new start procedure on the grid that every car except for the Aston Martin took part in.

Test 2, day 1 times
1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m33.459s, 76 laps
2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1m33.469s, 70 laps
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m33.739s, 70 laps
4 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m34.052s, 54 laps
5 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m34.158s, 69 laps
6 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 1m34.260s, 66 laps
7 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m34.299s, 44 laps
8 Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1m35.113s, 55 laps
9 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1m35.254s, 60 laps
10 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 1m35.263s, 71 laps
11 Alex Albon (Williams) 1m35.690s, 55 laps
12 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1m35.753s, 61 laps
13 Ollie Bearman (Haas) 1m35.778s, 42 laps
14 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1m35.898s, 61 laps
15 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m35.974s, 26 laps
16 Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1m36.418s, 65 laps
17 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 1m36.536s, 28 laps
18 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 1m36.741s, 49 laps
19 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1m36.769s, 75 laps
20 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) 1m36.798s, 35 laps
21 Sergio Perez (Cadillac) 1m38.191s, 24 laps

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-happened-on-first-day-of-final-2026-bahrain-f1-test/

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What the long runs are telling us at final Bahrain F1 test

Long run data from the opening day of Formula 1's final pre-season test in 2026 suggests Mercedes may have decisively reclaimed the 'team to beat' tag.

Claiming so definitively would be premature - given Max Verstappen was absent from the Red Bull and Ferrari had problems in the second session - but the Mercedes W17 looked in strong shape in Kimi Antonelli's hands in the morning and George Russell's hands later on.

Like in the first test in Bahrain, race simulations are being held back until later in the week - expect some on day two and day three. But 'stint-running' was more plentiful than from the same day from the corresponding test last year.

Though track evolution and changeable weather played a part as usual - and there was another timing outage, this time affecting a curious Charles Leclerc run that ultimately wouldn't have changed the picture too much - here is the full lowdown on what the long runs looked like this Wednesday.

The criteria for selection was five or more consecutive flying laps at consistent pace (or seven or more if there were any outliers interrupting), with outliers excluded below.

Morning session averages
1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m37.260s 5 laps (C3)
2 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m37.650s 9 laps (C3)
3 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m37.702s 9 laps (C3)
4 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m37.781s 8 laps (C3)
5 Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1m38.693s 6 laps (C3)
6 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m39.040s 12 laps (C3)
7 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1m39.896s 11 laps (C3)
8 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1m40.040s 8 laps (C3)
9 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m40.062s 9 laps (C2)
10 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m40.141s 8 laps (Pro)
11 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1m40.695s 8 laps (C3)
12 Sergio Perez (Cadillac) 1m41.642s 12 laps (C1)

Afternoon session averages
1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m36.527s 9 laps (C3)
2 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m36.629s 9 laps (C3)
3 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 1m36.794s 5 laps (C3)
4 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 1m36.824s 5 laps (C3)
5 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m37.014s 9 laps (C3)
6 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1m37.081s 10 laps (C2)
7 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m37.180s 9 laps (C3)
8 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 1m37.552s 5 laps (C4)
9 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m37.608s 11 laps (C1)
10 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 1m37.661s 5 laps (C4)
11 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1m38.035s 8 laps (C3)
12 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 1m38.046s 9 laps (C2)
13 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1m38.150s 15 laps (Pro)
14 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1m38.159s 7 laps (Pro)
15 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 1m38.293s 9 laps (C2)
16 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 1m38.512s 10 laps (C2)
17 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1m38.591s 6 laps (C3)
18 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1m38.612s 6 laps (C3)
19 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1m38.660s 8 laps (C3)
20 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1m38.883s 10 laps (C4)
21 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1m38.990s 9 laps (C3)
22 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1m39.057s 7 laps (C3)
23 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1m39.696s 7 laps (C3)
24 Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1m40.965s 7 laps (C3)
25 Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1m41.260s 8 laps (C3)
26 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) 1m41.342s 10 laps (C1)

A couple of runs here (notably Oscar Piastri's best and Franco Colapinto's best) are seemingly flattered by drivers starting them with a fast flying lap, but this isn't the case for the Mercedes cars.

Particularly in the most representative conditions, across the penultimate and final hour, Russell was the fastest and most consistent on track.

His nine-lap run, the best of the day, featured a best lap of 1m36.077s and all the other ones fitting in between 1m36.4s and 1m36.7s.

Red Bull should like what it saw from Hadjar, more on the C3 than the C4 (which in any case is of dubious value as a long-run tyre). After a largely wasted morning Red Bull put Hadjar on a plan that featured several runs that began with a push lap, then went into cooldown mode, then closed out with five consecutive laps.

Leclerc's five-lap effort from the very start of the day for Ferrari is also quite reasonable, but the sample size there just isn't as robust as it is for Mercedes and its extensive selection of long runs.

Of the other teams, it remains notable that the late-arriving Williams just hasn't done any meaningfully fast long runs across the two Bahrain tests so far, and that Aston Martin still cannot stay on track for long enough to be included in any of our calculations.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mercedes-best-day-final-f1-2026-pre-season-test-long-runs-so-far/

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Eight things we learned from opening day of last F1 2026 Bahrain test

The crucial final test of Formula 1's 2026 pre-season test is underway with plenty of key developments on and off the track.

We've rounded up the biggest things we've learned from day one of the second Bahrain test.

The field is closing up

Watching trackside on the first day of last week's Bahrain test exposed big differences from car to car. But with every team making big strides forward, the differences are now far more subtle.

That's to be expected given the depth of understanding teams now have both of the energy demands and the dynamic characteristics of their cars.

While it's still difficult to be certain exactly how wide the competitive spread is, and the gap of 3.339s from the fastest to the slowest car today likely compresses the field more than it will be in Australia, it illustrates not only how quickly teams have got more on top of the cars, but also that the worst fears about a rules overhaul creating big gaps will not be realised. - Edd Straw

Start procedure trial
Bahrain F1 test practice start

An experimental new start procedure was trialled at the end of the opening day of the test, as F1 collectively tries to work out a solution to the peculiar preparation required with the new 2026 engines.

There was a five-second hold once the grid was lined up for a practice start on Wednesday before the normal start procedure began. This is designed to give all drivers enough time to build the boost level in their engines' turbos by revving the engine in advance.

It requires around 10 seconds to do that so there were concerns about how to manage this with a normal sequence, whereby cars filter into their grid positions gradually and then the start sequence begins with a random hold before the red lights go out.

The five-second trial was a compromise as teams will still need to refine their own techniques – it's not as simple as 'rev the car for as long as this procedure lasts, then everything's easy'.

This was highlighted by McLaren conducting full practice start simulations in the pitlane - including a 35-second wait with the engine idling to replicate the scenario of sitting waiting on the grid.

It shows how much refinement is still going on even this deep into testing. - Scott Mitchell-Malm

Upgraded Mercedes looks fast

Mercedes gave the first hint it really can live up to its pre-season favourite tag by making its best trackside impression of testing so far on Wednesday, having debuted a suite of new upgrades.

The car looked extremely well poised on a nine-lap George Russell run I watched from trackside in the evening, and I was not surprised to learn that the stint was extremely competitive – three tenths a lap faster than Isack Hadjar in the Red Bull, whose run on the same compound was four laps shorter.

Plans can vary so much that it's hard to know if a light fuel load flattered the Mercedes, but this is the information we have to work with today – and more importantly, we watched the Mercedes plenty on shorter runs last week, too.

It didn't look this good then. And while it might be tempting to think the sandbags have been lifted, it's how the car behaves dynamically on track that caught the eye today rather than ultra-impressive straightline speed or deployment hints for example.

This suggests this was Mercedes benefitting from time sorting the chassis out than suddenly showing what its engine is really capable of – even though that could of course be part of it. - SMM

Expect new ratio test mid-season

Formula 1 is heading towards a mid-season rule change – as the row over compression ratios took a twist in Bahrain.

Following the push from Mercedes' rivals to close down an advantage it is said to have, the FIA is to hold an e-vote next week on new test procedures to come into play over the summer break.

While the specifics of the new test has not been revealed, the hope of Ferrari, Audi, Honda and Red Bull is that the new 130°C checks will close off any trick that Mercedes has in play.

And all indications point towards the proposed tweak to the checks getting voted through – with the FIA clearly keen to get a line drawn under the matter before the Australian Grand Prix.

How much this will impact Mercedes' engines after the new tests come into play is not known, and that is something which will only become clear in the long term.

However, what the state of affairs does mean is that Mercedes and its customer teams will hold on to their original advantage for at least the first 13 races of the campaign. - Jon Noble

How rear lights will be used

F1 cars have new rear lights and sequences for 2026.

Though there's also the addition of amber safety lights on the mirrors - to warn other drivers when a car has slowed to below 20km/h or stopped - what's changed at the rear is all to do with signalling how the MGU-K is being used to deploy power or charge the battery.

There are three different ways this can be used. A single red flash denotes the MGU-K is delivering less than the full 350kW of power; two flashes means the MGU-K is not delivering any power but isn't recharging; and multiple fast flashes means the MGU-K is recharging while the engine is still running flat-out - more commonly known in the F1 paddock as 'super clipping'. (There's a full explainer of that here.)

The rear wing endplate lights, which flash red, mirror the pattern of the rear impact structure light - which is now an oval shape, rather than rectangular, to save around 180g.

That red rear impact structure light is also used for other reduced-speed scenarios, including during a safety or virtual safety car period, or as a rain light when the car is using intermediate or wet tyres.

The light can also still turn blue if a driver does not have a full superlicence, like when a driver only eligible for a free practice licence stands in during FP1. - SMM

Ferrari has an eye-catching upgrade

Ferrari's quietly impressive 2026 pre-season has continued with a solid opening day of the final test - 114 laps logged between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

But the most eye-catching part of its Wednesday was the new diffuser wing it debuted.

It appears to be a clever solution for the 2026 beam wing ban and debuting it so close to the Melbourne season opener, gives its rivals little time to copy, should it prove successful. - Josh Suttill

Aston Martin's 2026 will get worse before it gets better

Fernando Alonso says "there's a solution in place" for Aston Martin's woes as "nothing is impossible to fix".

But the exact timeline of that solution is unclear and, until then, it's looking like there is plenty more pain on the way for the team after a bruising start to 2026.

Why Lance Stroll spun off at the Turn 11 left-hander remains unclear, but the team once again completed the fewest laps of any team on Wednesday.

That's far from ideal for a team that probably needs mileage more than any other right now.

It's rapidly running out of time to avoid being left scrapping to get out of Q1 in Melbourne - or to ensure the reliability to get both cars to the finish. - JS

Verstappen's car criticism isn't relenting

Max Verstappen called F1's new regulations "Formula E on steroids", "anti-racing" and "not Formula 1" last week. His frustration with having to keep one eye on the battery constantly remains, as when asked in today's press conference he suggested that the hybrid had no place in F1 and should be left to Formula E - albeit with the caveat that he called the upcoming Gen4 FE machine "a very cool car".

"I want us to stay away from that and be Formula 1," said Verstappen. "So don't increase the battery, actually get rid of that and focus on a nice engine."

He also stressed that he has no intention of holding back when asked his opinion, and rightly so. When The Race questioned whether there was any pushback from F1 itself on his opinions, or any effort to get him more on-message, he reiterated his desire to speak his mind.

"I'm just sharing my opinion," he said. " "We live in a free world, free speech and that's what I felt. Not everyone needs to feel like that but that's what I felt.

"Also it doesn't matter what other people have to say about that, I got a question and I shared my opinion. That I'm allowed to do. It's not about receiving pushback or whatever. I was just being honest." - ES

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/bahrain-f1-2026-final-preseason-test-day-one-things-we-learned/

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F1 2026 has a clear standout right now trackside

Mercedes made its best trackside impression yet in Formula 1 testing as its car seemed to come alive with a mix of upgrades and improved understanding.

The W17 was there or thereabouts last week, but on Wednesday it was more emphatically strong: looking really sharp on turn-in at Turn 10, consistent through the corner, and good traction on exit.

It was also metronomic on the nine-lap run we saw George Russell do in the evening, hitting its marks every time. How much fuel load played into it is hard to say but with Isack Hadjar running in the Red Bull at the same time, on the same tyre, there was an imperfect comparison possible and the Mercedes fared very well.

Elsewhere around the track the car gave the same message: super repeatable and consistent.

It rotates well, gets through the downshifts where the drivers want to, and gets the rotation into the corner. In addition to better traction the car pulls nice and smooth out of the slow corners - which suggests it is in a good place with driveability between the turbocharger and the power deployment of the MGU-K.

Unequivocally, the Mercedes looked the best car on Wednesday – although not perfect, as Russell's lock-up and big bail-out at Turn 10 on another run attested!

Red Bull's day was tougher. With Hadjar - and no disrespect to him - it is inevitably a less accurate read on the car's traits than when Max Verstappen is at the wheel, and Hadjar was further compromised by some limited mileage, so the shorter runs we did see him complete were fine but unremarkable. The car's core strengths are still present: sharp turn-in, good and aggressive down the gears, but with a little more rear instability for Hadjar.

McLaren made a better step, although it was working from a slightly lower base. It has a bit of understeer, but its drivers can attack the corners pretty well and Oscar Piastri seemed to have his smoothest day so far in terms of looking more at one with the car. The final car in the top four - the Ferrari - still has a hint of rear sliding but we didn't see a huge amount of it trackside during our excursions.

In the midfield, though, one team did make a strong impression: Alpine.

You could call it a 'Diet Mercedes' in that the car is not quite as quick, but it's really consistent. And that's what you're looking for: drivers who can drive consistently, they're not getting caught out, they're not having to hang back a little bit. Franco Colapinto was in the car and able to be very, very consistent – but what was really impressive is the turn-in phase. It had that edge of grip that it didn't last week sometimes. It was responding, stopping and rotating well. When things did go wrong, it was just that drivers went in a little bit hot.

Some other cars in the midfield are a little way off that. Up at Turn 4, Racing Bulls had a few good laps, but then they leaned on it a tiny bit more and one one occasion this led to a huge lock-up. It looks the least improved from last week – maybe with the exception of the Cadillac, which has still got the least downforce of any of the cars and is giving its drivers a big workout behind the wheel.

There is a lot of steering input. It's all controllable, it's just a car that doesn't have the grip. And a lot of locking up as well, which just fits with less downforce.

The Audi looks better. It's made good steps, although it still has the capacity to surprise the driver. Maybe one lap in three it moves around a little too much – but Gabriel Bortoleto's starting to look more comfortable in it after finding last week a little tricky. It still sounds rough, noticeably rougher than any of the other power units apart from the Honda, which is a league of its own. But this is a team gently trending in the right direction.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-test-trackside-which-cars-have-changed-most/

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Ferrari debuts unique exhaust wing at final Bahrain test



Ferrari has caused a stir on the opening morning of the final pre-season test in Bahrain on Wednesday after revealing an intriguing new wing behind its exhaust.

With the squad having focused its early running so far on the "spec-A" version of its SF-26 that it launched with, the Italian outfit has begun rolling out some tweaks that are likely to form part of its Australian Grand Prix package.

One of these that has grabbed attention is a new flick-up that sits right behind the exhaust.

It has the appearance of a mini but crude beam wing, which was a common feature of the previous generation of cars.

The small wing falls into an area of the rear tail where bodywork is in theory heavily restricted, but likely makes clever use of allowances in various regulations surrounding the rear wing pylons to ensure that it complies with the rules.

The new aerodynamic element is likely aimed at delivering two key benefits for car performance.

It could help make use of diverting exhaust gases to help with the way they interact with the rear wing air flow.

Furthermore, it could be acting as an extension of the diffuser airflow, aimed to help improve performance here and deliver greater downforce.

One of the key design considerations for this year was the banning of beam wings at the rear, which had become common with the previous generation of cars.

Gary Anderson's verdict
We are seeing some of the 'small' developments on the cars come into play at this second test.

For Ferrari it has increased the size of the small vanes that increase the height of the trailing edge of the central part of the diffuser.



You can see the differences between what they ran last week and what they are currently running this week, it's only a small increase but it will connect the airflow from the beam wing and improve the airflow around the rear crash structure, which in turn will improve the airflow in that central boat area of the diffuser.



I'm not sure what harm it will do to the exhaust flow, as it's fairly close to where the regulations define the position of that outlet has to be (red arrow).

Its position is defined in the regulations as 390mm to 400mm, so a 10mm tolerance relative to the centre line of the rear axle and a minimum height of 350mm to reduce the potential for using the exhaust flow to generate higher flow rate air flow over any aerodynamic components.

However, I'm sure many will say this is the start of a blown beam wing - diffuser solution, that could be, and it will be interesting to see what the FIA think of it.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/ferrari-debuts-unique-exhaust-wing-at-final-bahrain-test/

[LaraCroft]

gracias por la información  

[GoVal]

El alerón trasero del Ferrari «flip-ando»  .


https://x.com/F1/status/2024437513033490506?s=20

[GoVal]

Como se mantenga esta diferencia en las salidas, menudo peligro si Ferrari sale atrás porque se va a merendar a todos los demás. 


https://x.com/christyless/status/2024515072786047328?s=20

[LaraCroft]

Pue si, madre mía 

[McHouserphy]

Test pretemporada 2026 - Semana 2, día 2 - Bahrein - 19/02/2026

[llumia]