Isack Hadjar sixth fastest on final day of first pre-season test
Published on 13 February 2026 by Stefan Meens
Oracle Red Bull Racing finished the final day of the first pre-season test of 2026 in sixth place. After Max Verstappen clocked the third fastest lap in the Friday morning session, teammate Isack Hadjar finished the afternoon session in P6, five tenths off Max’s pace. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli lapped the Bahrain International Circuit quickest, clocking a lap time two tenths faster than his British teammate George Russell.
After losing out on a lot of track time yesterday, Hadjar was keen to make the most of the new RB22 during the Friday afternoon session. The Frenchman is one of the first drivers on track and enjoys a solid first hour, consistently lapping in the 1:39s.
Meanwhile, over at the Red Bull sister team Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson is the first driver to complete a century of laps on Friday. The Kiwi builds on his productive morning session.
Mercedes, one of the regular front runners this test, struggle in the first couple of hours to get Kimi Antonelli out on track. After a frustrating Thursday, during which the Italian only managed three laps, it took over an hour and a half before Antonelli makes an appearance in the new Mercedes. When he does venture out, he makes the most of the improving track conditions to clock the fastest lap of the day.
As the session heads into the final hour, Hadjar makes a curious mistake by stopping at the Mercedes pits. He soon realises his error and steers his car one garage further to be welcomed by his Red Bull mechanics.
In the closing stages, Lewis Hamilton is forced to park his Ferrari trackside with a technical problem, prompting a red flag. The stricken Ferrari is quickly cleared and the session resumes with seven minutes to go. Soon a second red flag follows, but this time it is planned to allow for practice starts. It marks the end of a busy three-day test in which Max completed 197 laps in the RB22, with Hadjar raking up 147 laps.
The second and final pre-season test will take place Wednesday 18 February until Friday 20 February, again at the Bahrain International Circuit.
