Six days and 4,275km – our Bahrain testing recap

From long runs to qualifying simulations, here’s everything that went down across six days of 2026 pre-season testing in Sakhir

Published

21 FEB 2026

Est. reading time

2 min

If you blinked, you might have missed it, but pre-season testing is now done and dusted ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Over the two official tests, Atlassian Williams F1 Team put the FW48 through some crucial mileage, completing 790 laps – that’s 4,275km or 2,656 miles. Here’s how it all unfolded.

Building the foundation

Testing is about the groundwork, especially in the opening year of a new regulation cycle.

With the all-new 2026 chassis regulations arriving in tandem with a revised power unit package, featuring a 300% increase in electrical deployment, fully sustainable fuels, active aero and new driver told all to understand, reliability and systems integration were the primary focus for teams up and down the paddock in Sakhir.

Across the second test alone, we saw:

Day 1: 110 laps split evenly between Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz

Day 2: 117 laps for Alex in his final outing before Melbourne

Day 3: 141 laps for Carlos

That final day marked the FW48’s last track time before competitive running starts in Australia, and it was a comprehensive one. Carlos completed long run simulations and a qualifying-style run plan as the team worked through its programme.

Lots of running meant our drivers had plenty of data to go over in Bahrain

Adapting to a new era

The 2026 cars demand a different approach, with energy deployment strategies across a race stint having to be refined, whilst the behaviour of tyres under varying fuel loads having to be understand, to name just a couple of areas every team will be looking to learn. Each session built towards a clearer picture of how the FW48 responds.

Importantly, the team leaves Sakhir with the third-highest lap total of any constructor during the Bahrain test programme. That’s a strong foundation to build on ahead of the long-haul double-header in Melbourne and Shanghai to start the year.

The numbers in full

Across six days, 790 laps were completed by Atlassian Williams F1 Team, equating to 4,275km of running.

Below, you’ll find a full breakdown of mileage across every day in Bahrain. Next stop: Melbourne.

Complete Testing Lap Count:

Official 2026 Team Kit

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Six days and 4,275km – our Bahrain testing recap

From long runs to qualifying simulations, here’s everything that went down across six days of 2026 pre-season testing in Sakhir