P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The final days of F1 2026 pre-season testing have concluded and there are now just two weeks until the first race of the sport’s new era.
The last days of F1 2026 pre-season testing have ended, with just two weeks left until the first race of the sport’s new era. Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff praised Red Bull as the ‘benchmark’, while Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies dismissed this as ‘noise’. There’s hope that Lewis Hamilton might have a better season in red. However, the competitive order remains uncertain as teams and drivers adapt to new rules.
Ferrari topped the timesheets in testing but the championship’s competitiveness will be unclear for a while. Ferrari could be seen as ‘winners’, but Aston Martin caused concern after a pre-season nightmare. The rest of the grid’s performances in Bahrain and their vibe before the new season vary.
McLaren, the back-to-back constructors’ champions, avoided drama in testing but faces challenges ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. They completed 1108 laps but encountered a chassis issue. Mercedes also faced power unit problems but completed the most laps in testing. Red Bull’s boss sees them as the ‘fourth-fastest team’, not the benchmarkers.
