F1 2026 TESTING: THE PECKING ORDER
With the 3 separate tests including the Barcelona Shakedown and the 2 Bahrain tests we had done and dusted, it's time to have a look at what the general pecking order will be going into Melbourne.
There’s a general consensus of what the overall pecking order will be like from people within the F1 paddock and F1 fans around the world. Today we’re going to go through how each of the 11 teams fare and see how they’re looking come Melbourne.
THE TOP QUARTET
1ST - MERCEDES
Mercedes during Bahrain testing seemed unlike in the Barcelona Shakedown, to be a little bit off the pace to their closest rivals if you took the testing results at face value. However, there’s no doubt they had their engine modes slightly turned down as they didn’t go for any glory runs towards the end of the testing. Kimi Antonelli’s fastest time on Day 2 was about ~0.8 seconds off the pace of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari on the final day. However, conditions were more rubbered in as well as Leclerc using the C4 tires instead of the C3 tires and George Russell on the final day performed "‘LiCo” (Lift and Coast) in turns 4,11 and 14.
Glimpses of their true pace were seen in their long runs where they were lapping low 1:36’s consistently and sometimes going into the 1:35’s whilst Ferrari were doing 1:36’s and 1:37’s. It seems they ran different energy deployment for their fastest laps as downplaying seems to be the talk of the town for the top teams and the general consensus is that Mercedes are the team to beat.
2ND - FERRARI
![r/F1Porn - Charles Leclerc (Ferrari SF-26). Pre-season testing in Sakhir, Bahrain. February 11, 2026. [3000x2000]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QzWu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffd9f239-f87d-4b03-9723-c72c929944a4_640x426.jpeg "r/F1Porn - Charles Leclerc (Ferrari SF-26). Pre-season testing in Sakhir, Bahrain. February 11, 2026. [3000x2000]")
It seems that everyone downplays the importance of glory runs but being able to top the testing time sheets it’s never a bad thing and if anything shows that your car is very competitive. As for whether they are the quickest is a different story, it’s within Ferrari traditions to go out for glory runs during testing as they have done for the past decade now.
Everything seems to be in order for the SF-26, whether that’s speed, handling, race starts due to a smaller turbo and an abundance of reliability, they have the whole package it seems.
They even caused a bit of an eye opener when they revealed their unique 270 degree rear wing, acting more like an aircraft wing which helps to reduce more drag and minimise the amount of electrical energy required on straights. This may give them an advantage of up to 10KPH (6MPH) and could give them more electrical energy on average across a lap as energy management will be pivotal.
3RD - MCLAREN
McLaren walked away as the reliability kings, putting in a massive 817 laps, which was the most of any team. While their best time of 1:32.861 only put them 3rd on the sheets, the race pace is what has people talking. Oscar Piastri’s race simulation showed he was actually 0.1 seconds per lap faster than Max Verstappen once you cleaned up the data. They aren't the undisputed favorites yet, but they have a quiet confidence about them that suggests they are ready to fight for the title and with the development race being vital for 2026, the pecking order could change from race to race and even session to session.
4TH - RED BULL
They finished 4th overall with a 1:33.109 and sat 7th in total mileage with 672 laps. The data suggests they are struggling with tire degradation on the harder C1 compounds. On the C3 tires Max showed he had more pace in comparison to Piastri’s long run simulation but fell away in stints 2 and 3 on the C1 tire due to an increase in tire degradation which could be a fundamental weakness of the car. They don't seem to have the fastest car over a single lap or a long distance right now but Max Verstappen seems happy enough with the new Red Bull Ford project and credit should be given when it’s due as it’s the first year Red Bull in partnership with Ford Powertrains have created their own power units and could pay dividends for Racing Bulls too.
THE MIDFIELD
5TH - HAAS
Haas surprised everyone by being the second most active team on track, banking 794 laps. They look like the early leaders of the midfield. Sophomore Oliver Bearman put in a 1:33.487 on the C4 tires, which was only 0.066 seconds off Pierre Gasly’s time who was on a softer tire (C5). In addition Bearman completed a race simulation at the same time as Racing Bull’s rookie Arvid Lindblad and outpaced him.
The Ferrari engine seems to be a powerhouse, and while they are still a small team even with the arrival of Cadillac, they’ve built a very reliable and predictable platform. It’s very likely they'll come out the blocks firing and may snatch a podium if chaos ensues for the top quartet but maintaining this midfield advantage over the course of a season is another question.
6TH - ALPINE
The vibe at Alpine is surprisingly high after a rough 2025 where the team stopped development of their predecessor the A525 at the end of January. Their move to Mercedes engines seems to be paying off, as Gasly clocked a 1:33.421 to go 5th fastest overall. Their race simulations on the final day of testing suggested they look closely matched with Haas at the front of the midfield. Traction and overall grip visibly improved from the 1st to the 2nd Bahrain test but the car seems to lack front grip and is prone to understeer.
The only real drama is the driver situation, as there are already some whispers about whether Franco Colapinto can keep up with Gasly once the points are actually on the line after he replaced Doohan for the remainder of the 2025 season.
7TH - RACING BULLS
Racing Bulls look like they are firmly within the leading midfield pack but the weakest out of the bunch between Haas and Alpine. As for standout limitations with the car, Liam Lawson pointed out that there was none but it took longer for them to familiarise themselves with the energy harvesting of their power unit then Red Bull.
Power delivery on throttle seemed to be inconsistent however as they progressed through the 2 tests as well as instability with the VCARB-03 under braking in slow corners.
8TH - AUDI
I would say the biggest improver of the course of testing was Audi, with their radical zero pod design they brought to Bahrain. The car balance also looked exponentially better. In the 1st Bahrain test, the Audi engine sounded rougher and less stable on the downshifts. Towards the end of testing, these issues were ironed for the most part even if they were still present, they were more consistent than before.
This resulted in eye opening pace on the final day. Audi Technical Director James Key put emphasis on the significant progress made.
9TH - WILLIAMS
It’s looking a bit grim for Williams. After missing the Barcelona test, they finally got 790 laps in, but the pace just wasn't there. Their best time was a 1:34.342, which left them 9th. The car is significantly overweight, heavy on the front axle and aerodynamically restricted. Carlos Sainz was lapping more than a second off the midfield pace during his long runs, so James Vowles has a lot of work to do to get them out of this pit.
BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
10TH - CADILLAC
Huge congratulations are due for the new team on the block Cadillac, managing to make their car reliable which is a big accomplishment. The team ended over 3 seconds off the pace of Leclerc’s pace on the C4 tire and put in respectable mileage. They experienced minor reliability issues which the team thinks they shouldn’t deal with come Melbourne.
As for the car’s overall characteristics, it lacks downforce, showcasing high levels of tyre degradation but it’s surprisingly stable considering it’s towards the bottom of the pack so the drivers shouldn’t have to deal with anything unpredictable.
11TH - ASTON MARTIN
This was a total nightmare. Aston Martin was dead last in every category. They only managed 334 laps (the lowest by far) and their best time of 1:35.974 was nearly 4 seconds off the pace. The Honda engine and battery issues kept Fernando Alonso in the garage for most of the test with the team not able to harvest the lower limit energy which was 250kw. Lawrence Stroll was reportedly enraged in the paddock, and Adrian Newey has been keeping a very low profile.
The AMR26 has the worst handling, the worst reliability and as a result are currently in a dogfight with Cadillac just to avoid the back row.
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