After the drama of Thursday's pre-season test running in Barcelona, when the Mercedes 'DAS' steering system was spotted on the new W11, the Silver Arrows got back to what they do best on Friday, dominating the timesheets on the final day of the first test.
The team finished up the day 1-2 at the top of the standings, as they laid down an ominous marker for their rivals ahead of the new season.
Elsewhere, Ferrari had a more troubled day after an engine issue forced Sebastian Vettel to stop out on track, triggering the first red flag of the day, as boss Mattia Binotto admitted the SF1000 was not as fast as some of its competitors.
Kevin Magnussen also brought the red flags out after he crashed his Haas later on during the afternoon session. Watch that – and all the action from the third day of running – in the highlights video above.
DAY 3 REPORT: Mercedes cap off first week of testing with a 1-2 thanks to Bottas flyer
Next Up
Related Articles
Leclerc leads Norris on second day of Bahrain testing
Russell’s best meme moments as he turns 28/16x9%20single%20image%20-%202026-02-13T140856.691.webp)
Russell feels Mercedes have ‘taken a step back’ in Bahrain
Your tech questions answered from the first Bahrain test
Wheatley ‘proud’ of Audi’s progress across pre-season testing.webp)
Why Audi's new-look bodywork in Bahrain got people talking