Liam Lawson has completed his first official test of his 2026 Formula One car, taking to the track in Bahrain.
The Kiwi was one of 15 drivers to get behind the wheel on the second day of pre-season testing at the Sakhir International Circuit, as all 11 teams prepare for the new campaign beginning next month.
Lawson managed 50 laps in Racing Bulls’ new VCARB03 car before vacating the second session for new teammate Arvid Lindblad – who himself logged 83 laps.
While only getting the first session of the day, Lawson’s time of 1m 38.017s was the seventh best by the time the teams stopped for lunch, in the hotter conditions.
By the end of the second session, Lawson’s time was 13th fastest of the drivers who took part on day two.
Lawson will get the entirety of the third day to himself, as the final two sessions of Formula One’s first Bahrain test, before a second is held from February 18 to 20.
His mark was 3.744s back from day two leader, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who posted a best time of 1m 34.273s in the first session.
World champion Lando Norris set the second-fastest time, posting a lap of 1m 34.784s, 0.511s back from Leclerc in his McLaren.
Lawson’s time was just 0.072s back from the mark Lindblad managed on day one, 1m 37.945s, and 0.547s back from the rookie’s best effort in the second session of day two.
Lindblad completing faster laps is to be expected, though, after the 18-year-old’s best times both came in the night sessions of the first two days.
Drivers in Bahrain tend to be quicker at night, given the lower air temperatures make it easier for cars and engines to cool, while the track surface is not as harsh on tyres.
It is also unclear what aerodynamic set-ups and fuel loads were tested by the teams, making it hard to decipher what meaning to take from the recorded times.
Lindblad’s inexperience did show towards the end of the night session, when he left the pit lane while the red light was still on after a stoppage.
All of Lawson’s laps were completed on the faster, soft tyres, albeit having run an aero rake – a device fitted to measure air flow – on the front of his car in the opening stints of the early session.
Lawson did stop on track early in the first session for an unspecified reason, however, got through the rest of his only time on day two without any real issues.
Regardless, getting laps in will be vital for all 22 drivers in the first cars designed under Formula One’s new regulations for the 2026 season.
Last month, the Kiwi also got through 152 laps in Formula One’s behind-closed-doors shakedown test in Barcelona, getting three sessions across two days.
However, the first session of day two didn’t go smoothly for all teams. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli was limited to just three laps before an issue with his power unit forced an engine change, and meant an early finish.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar didn’t manage any time in the opening four hours, after a chassis hydraulic leak saw the RB22 remain in the garage for most of the first session.
Lawson’s former teammate has so far endured a difficult pre-season in what’s traditionally been the most difficult car to drive, after he crashed on the second day in Barcelona, and saw Red Bull’s only car of the test suffer heavy damage.
Sergio Perez also triggered a red flag, when his Cadillac stopped at turn 10, but still managed to log 42 laps in the first session, and vacating the car for Valtteri Bottas in the evening.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.