Mercedes asserted its championship credentials as Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped the final day of F1 Bahrain testing, leading a Silver Arrows 1-2. The 19-year-old posted a 1m33.669s lap, 0.249s ahead of team-mate George Russell, overcoming a disrupted morning session. Their pace suggests the German marque enters 2026 as a favorite despite regulation changes.

Ferrari emerged as the strongest Mercedes challenger with Lewis Hamilton posting the third-fastest time at 1m34.209s. However, Hamilton's day ended 10 minutes early with a suspected fuel issue. McLaren completed the most mileage with Oscar Piastri logging 161 laps, while Mercedes could have done better had Antonelli not missed the opening 90 minutes.

Trouble continued for Aston Martin and Cadillac, both hampered by technical issues. Aston managed just 72 laps while Cadillac recorded 105 after a cooling problem caused an early red flag. Mercedes accumulated 139 laps despite the interruption, finishing sixth in the mileage standings behind leaders McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, Haas and Alpine.