F1 Testing 2026: Red Bull in trouble as issue causes delay

Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar walking into the Bahrain paddock during pre season testing — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Testing 2026

Red Bull in trouble as issue causes Bahrain testing delay

Day two of testing in Bahrain was brought to a halt

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 12 February 2026 11:03 Updated: 13:34

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Red Bull have run into a major problem during day two of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain following an impressive first day out in the desert.

On Wednesday, the Milton Keynes-based squad headed out onto the Bahrain International Circuit for the first time during this week's official pre-season testing where Max Verstappen was joined by his new team-mate, Isack Hadjar.

Across the first day, Verstappen took over driving duties entirely and went fastest during the morning session, but had to settle for second in the timings table after Lando Norris went fastest in his MCL40 on Wednesday afternoon.

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Hadjar on the other hand had to wait until his turn on Thursday, but an hour into the morning session, Sky Sports F1 reported that Verstappen's team-mate had in fact not gone out on track yet at all, with an issue cropping up at Red Bull that could see him miss the entire morning testing session.

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Red Bull problem halts Hadjar's Bahrain testing debut

Red Bull are believed to have found a hydraulics leak during the car build process overnight, meaning Hadjar's plans to get out on track were delayed significantly on day two of testing.

When the issue was first reported, Sky revealed that the 21-year-old was not expected to get out onto the circuit in his RB22 for at least a couple more hours as Red Bull frantically attempt to solve the problem.

As updates continued to roll in throughout Thursday morning, Sky reported a 'tough morning' for the energy drink giants, with the timings sheet at 8:35am (GMT) revealing that Hadjar was yet to put any laps on the board.

Right at the end of the morning session, Hadjar did one installation lap of the track before returning to the garage. The Red Bull issue appears to have been fixed, with the Frenchman out once again for the afternoon.

Mercedes are also yet to return to the track, after Kimi Antonelli completed three laps without setting a time. The team are believed to be experiencing technical issues.

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