WORDS BY ROB HANSFORD | IMAGES BY RED BULL
After months of wondering how the 2026 Formula 1 cars will perform, this week was the time we'd get to fully understand just how well teams have done at understanding the brand new regulations.
Yes, it's not the first time the 2026 cars have taken to the track, with teams having been able to take part in a private shakedown test two weeks ago at Barcelona, but it is the first time the public have been able to see the cars running.
Teams wanted the firs test behind closed doors because they were concerned that their cars might struggle with reliability. That didn't seem to be the case at Barcelona, and given what has happened over the first two days of testing in Bahrain, it's clear that teams are having no problems getting their cars to run consistently.
That doesn't mean there's no issues at all. Far from it. It just means that the visions some had of cars failing after a handful of laps, or running so slow there's no point in turning up have been very wide of the mark.
Coming into the year, many predicted that Mercedes will be the team to beat in 2026. But in Bahrain, that assumption is no longer as clear cut. Red Bull appear to be the real deal, and look the benchmark, despite concerns about the team running with their own powerunit for the very first time.
It's always hard to tell who actually is the fastest given nobody knows what fuel loads drivers are running on at any given moment. But it is easier to work out which teams might be struggling.
The team that appears to be hurting the most right now is Aston Martin. Lance Stroll completed just 36 laps during Wednesday's Bahrain test after the team found an anomaly in the Honda engine data that needed further investigation. Tuesday was slightly better with Fernando Alonso completing 98 laps for the team, but his best time was four seconds off the fastest time of the day (set by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc).
Unsurprisingly, Cadillac have also been stuck towards the back end of the grid on the timing sheets so far, but they do appear to be closer to the pace than some where expecting at this stage.
But regardless of the pace, one thing remains certain. There's no reason to be overly concerned about reliability.
On Tuesday seven teams completed more than 100 laps, nearly double a race distance in Bahrain. Given some were worried that cars would struggle to last a grand prix a few months ago, it shows just how well prepared teams really are.
There was no need to be concerned. F1 teams are at the top of the game for a reason. They're the best at what they do, and do everything to the highest of standards. Sure, the pecking order might get shuffled up - that's what these rules are meant to do after all.
But one thing is totally clear - it's nigh on impossible to put teams in a position where having a car fail to complete grands prix distances on a regular occurrence is a real possibility.