F1 News Today: Max Verstappen leaves testing early as team boss reveals worrying Red Bull truth

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Bahrain, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News Today

F1 News Today: Max Verstappen leaves testing early as team boss reveals worrying Red Bull truth

All the fallout from F1's first week of pre-season testing in Bahrain

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 14 February 2026 07:54

Red Bull F1 star Max Verstappen jetted off early from Bahrain pre-season testing before the first public test of the year had officially ended.

F1 has been in Bahrain for a three-day test at the Sakhir International Circuit, and Verstappen has been racing around in his new RB22, getting to grips with the wholesale regulation changes that are now in place for 2026 and beyond.

Verstappen completed a whopping 136 laps on the first day of testing, before then completing 61 laps on day three, ending the morning session third in the timesheets.

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Toto Wolff admits worrying truth about Red Bull F1 rivals

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has released some rather damning comments about Red Bull's pace following this week's pre-season testing in Bahrain.

With major regulation changes forcing drivers to adapt how they go racing, the Silver Arrows boss has said that he thinks Red Bull have proven themselves so far to be the best at maximising their power unit.

The energy drink giants shocked their rivals at last month's Barcelona shakedown and in Bahrain this week due to how impressive their first in-house power unit appears to be, something which led Wolff to refer to the team as 'the benchmark' for 2026.

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Crisis at Aston Martin? 'The gloves are off' as Alonso shows F1 testing frustration

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso has cut a frustrated figure in the Aston Martin garage during pre-season testing, and his mood does not seem to be improving.

There has been much anticipation over Adrian Newey's first Aston Martin F1 car, which Alonso and his team-mate Lance Stroll will pilot during the squad's first season as a full works team, with help from engine partners Honda.

But to say Aston Martin's 2026 pre-season has not gone according to plan would be an understatement given they barely made it to the Barcelona shakedown and now have both drivers complaining to the media about their new car in Bahrain.

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McLaren F1 sponsor's CEO resigns after Epstein files 'torture video' email

The chief executive of DP World, a sponsor of the McLaren F1 team, has resigned following revelations about his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem had come under increasing pressure in recent days when newly-released emails from the Epstein files meant that his alleged correspondence with the convicted child sex trafficker had been taken public.

DP World released a statement on Friday, confirming it had appointed a new CEO in Yuvraj Narayan, as well as Essa Kazim as a new chairman of its board of directors.

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George Russell admits being 'scared' over Red Bull F1 2026 advantage

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell had admitted that the advantage on display from Red Bull at the 2026 pre-season test events has given him a reality check about the season ahead.

Russell is no stranger to wheel-to-wheel battles with Red Bull's star driver, Max Verstappen, and with the way the grid appear to be adapting to the 2026 regulations, it seems we could be set for plenty more on-track action between the pair.

Speaking in Bahrain this week where Verstappen once again impressed Red Bull's rivals after his first stint behind the wheel of the RB22, Russell admitted: "It's pretty scary to see that difference...Red Bull have always delivered a very good car over the past 15 years, even when they didn't have a great engine. So, yeah, this test has been really eye-opening for a lot of us."

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