F1 LIVE | Verstappen makes first real statement as Ferrari stuns F1 paddock

This is the live blog for Day 2 of the final winter test in Bahrain on Thursday, 19 February 2026. Read everything about what happened on and around the track, with GPblog reporter Nicole Mulder present on site in Bahrain.

On Day 1 of Test 2, Mercedes displayed a real sign of dominance both in terms of mileage and their lap times. George Russell set the fastest time out of anyone in winter testing so far with a 1:33.459 in the afternoon session - 10 hundredths of a second ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri. The Briton also completed the most individual laps (76), while his team achieved 145 overall, more than Racing Bulls with 136 in second.

Meanwhile, rivals Red Bull suffered reliability issues. A water leak just 13 laps into Isack Hadjar's morning session severely limited the Milton Keynes team's running, as they only achieved 66 laps overall - only Cadillac and Aston Martin completed less. The Silverstone-based squad suffered a miserable Day 1 in Bahrain, with Lance Stroll bringing out the only red flag of the day after a dramatic spin at Turn 11, while Fernando Alonso only managed 28 laps before suffering engine issues.

Off track, there were developments in the Mercedes engine 'loophole' saga, with the FIA confirming that a proposal to change how the 2026 cars' compression ratio is measured will be voted on by the Power Unit Manufacturers, and if approved, will be introduced from 1 August 2026. The outcome of that vote is expected to be delivered within 10 days.

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