Report: 131 laps completed on Thursday

Learn more about our second day of running at the Bahrain International Circuit

Published

12 FEB 2026

Est. reading time

3 min

Atlassian Williams F1 Team have racked up a further 131 laps to our 2026 tally on the second day of the official pre-season test.

Having completed the evening session on the opening day, Alex Albon was back in the FW48 for the first four hours of Thursday’s action, completing a total of 62 laps around the Bahrain International Circuit.

Our Thai driver had a best time of 1:37.229 which placed him P9 on the timing tower at the end of the day.

Fresh from catching up with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the paddock, Carlos Sainz jumped back into the FW48 for the evening running.

CS55 recorded a further 69 laps during the final four hours of running, bringing the team’s Day 2 total to 131 laps and continuing a productive programme focused on long runs, system checks and gathering data across evolving track conditions from daytime heat into the cooler evening session. His best effort of 1:37.592 placed him P12 on the overall classification, with team-mate Alex Albon having set the team’s earlier benchmark during the morning session.

Across the opening two days of running, Atlassian Williams F1 Team has now accumulated 277 laps, continuing a high-volume early testing programme, highlighting strong early reliability for the FW48 and allowing both drivers to complete race-distance simulations as the team continues to understand the demands of the new 2026 regulations package.

Testing action across the day saw consistent long-run programmes and multiple race-distance simulations, with the benchmark lap time settling at 1:34.273 during the hotter morning conditions and remaining unbeaten through the cooler evening session. Several cars surpassed the 100-lap mark as teams focused on reliability, data gathering and system validation under varying track temperatures from day to night.

The session was interrupted at different points by on-track stoppages, debris-related red flags and a sequence of Race Control procedure checks, including Virtual Safety Car and flag simulations in the closing stages. As conditions transitioned into dusk, teams completed additional operational work such as practice starts and final correlation runs, bringing another productive day of pre-season testing in Bahrain to a close.

Matt Harman, Technical Director –

“We've done some great mileage today where we explored quite a large part of the envelope of the car, both in terms of how we drive it and energy deployment in different parts of the track.

We've tried a few exploratory set-up conditions and did part of the race distance which was unfortunately then red-flagged. The positive news is we're looking good from a temperature point-of-view, meaning we can start pushing the car at full strength, and at the moment it is about making sure we understand some of the attrition.

It was a second positive day for us in understanding the car - we are learning all the time and look forward to building on it on day 3.”

Next up: Check out our Day 2 Gallery here.

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Report: 131 laps completed on Thursday

Learn more about our second day of running at the Bahrain International Circuit

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