Charles Leclerc sets stunning pace as Aston Martin endure final day horror show

Charles Leclerc set a stunning 1m 31.992 to go fastest on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, while Aston Martin's horror show worsened.

Leclerc had the entirety of Friday driving the SF-26 and completed an impressive 130 laps, although it was his 1m 31.992 which caught all the attention.

The Monegasque was the only driver to dip into the 1m 31s on a set of C4 tyres, with the lap being just 2.1s slower than Oscar Piastri's Bahrain pole lap from 2025.

It was a strong final day for the Scuderia, but a disastrous one for Aston Martin. Lance Stroll completed just six laps before the British outfit ended its running, leaving him with just 32 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit this week.

Not a single timed lap was completed by Stroll, with Honda facing major power unit issues which have put the team in a horrendous position ahead of the opening round in Australia.

At the front, reigning world champion Lando Norris had the second-quickest lap, although it was nearly nine-tenths off Leclerc. The top five was completed by Max Verstappen, George Russell and Pierre Gasly.

It was a mixed day for McLaren, with Norris having spent well over an hour in the garage at the start of the afternoon session. Cadillac also faced further issues, this time an electrical fault which impacted downloading data.

When it came to data, nobody could match an incredible effort by rookie Arvid Lindblad, who completed a remarkable 164 laps across the entirety of Friday.

Williams' pace raised concerns for the Grove-based outfit, as Carlos Sainz was 10th on the timesheets and 2.3s adrift of Leclerc, despite using the soft C5 tyres.

Three groups appear to have formed, with the usual top four leading the way, ahead of Haas, Alpine and Racing Bulls, with the rest in a lower midfield pack.