This season, Red Bull has collaborated with Ford to develop its own F1 engine, a first for the team.

Two major topics dominated the conversation during the initial pre-season test in Bahrain: the authenticity of the new cars as "Formula 1" vehicles and the performance of Red Bull's newly introduced engine.

Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion, expressed his opinion that the revised cars and engines have transformed the sport into a "management" exercise.

Verstappen stated, "As a driver, I prefer to drive at full speed, but currently, that's not possible. The inputs I make as a driver significantly impact the energy aspect, which, in my opinion, doesn't align with the spirit of Formula 1."

Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, disagreed with Verstappen's assessment, describing the new cars as "enjoyable" and suggesting that Verstappen was free to compete elsewhere if he wasn't satisfied.

George Russell of Mercedes took a more nuanced stance, positioned between Verstappen's and Norris's perspectives.

Russell noted, "Having the best cars doesn't necessarily translate to the most exciting racing. In fact, the competition might become more unpredictable."

Russell described Red Bull's advantage as "pretty scary."

For those who watched the daily hour-long television broadcasts, the controversy surrounding the new cars might have seemed puzzling.

At first glance, the cars appear similar to their predecessors, with recognizable characteristics of F1 vehicles.

However, the cockpits reveal significant differences resulting from the most substantial regulatory changes in the sport's history.

The cars, engines, and tires have been designed according to new rules and are now powered by carbon-neutral sustainable fuel for the first time.

The engines are at the center of the drivers' concerns, whether they enjoy the cars or not.

The vehicles are energy-efficient, with the electrical component of the engine producing roughly half of the total power, while the battery size remains similar to last year's.

The various methods of recovering energy to achieve optimal lap times are redefining the traditional role of a racing driver.

The need to recover energy is forcing teams to run electrical motors against the engines on straights and in corners.

As a result, drivers must use lower gears, and the engines rev higher in corners. Russell observed that drivers must navigate corners in a way that maximizes energy use over a lap, rather than simply driving as fast as possible at all times, which means they won't always be at the limit of grip.

Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, noted that his team's chef could drive his car around Turn 12, given the significantly reduced speed required to conserve electrical energy.

Alonso referred to the challenging Turn 12 in Bahrain, an uphill right-hand turn near the end of the lap.

Historically, drivers would choose their downforce level to navigate Turn 12 flat-out, which required a high level of skill and was a decisive factor in achieving fast lap times.

Now, drivers approach Turn 12 at a significantly slower speed, approximately 50km/h slower, to conserve energy for the straights.

At this reduced speed, the car can be driven by virtually anyone, including the team's chef, Alonso said.

Alonso understood Verstappen's concerns but pointed out that the sport has always involved adapting to new challenges, such as downforce in previous years.

Alonso recalled that when Verstappen won numerous races, his advantage stemmed from having more downforce, allowing him to corner at higher speeds than his competitors.

Alonso cautioned against drawing conclusions too early in the season, given the significant regulatory changes.

"We still enjoy motor racing and competing, but the new rules might reduce the impact of driving skills," Alonso said, suggesting that it might take a few races to fully understand the effects of the changes.

The new cars have sparked a divide among drivers, with some describing them as "not F1" and others finding them "enjoyable."

The cars have undergone significant changes, including a 30kg weight reduction, a 10cm narrowing, and engines with a nearly 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power.

Evaluating competitiveness during testing is challenging due to the numerous variables and teams' secrecy about their car specifications.

Nevertheless, Red Bull's rivals took notice of the team's new engine, which seemed to deploy energy more consistently and over longer periods than other teams.

Despite Verstappen setting only the seventh-fastest lap time, Russell described Red Bull's underlying pace as "pretty scary."

Russell acknowledged that, based on current evidence, Red Bull appears to be ahead, and his team hopes to catch up.

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache disputed this assessment, claiming that the top three teams – Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren – are ahead of them.

Race simulations are typically the best way to gauge relative pace, and in these simulations, Verstappen consistently gained about 0.6 seconds per lap on Norris on the straights.

However, the quickest race simulation of the week was achieved by Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who outpaced Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari when running concurrently.

Hamilton matched the pace set by his teammate Charles Leclerc the previous day, which was significantly faster than Norris's pace at the same time.

The situation is complicated by the ongoing dispute over engine rules, with Mercedes at the center, and potential politicking involved.

Rivals accuse Mercedes of exploiting a loophole in the rules regarding compression ratios, allowing them to comply with the rules at ambient temperature but run the engine at a higher ratio on the track.

Ferrari, Honda, Red Bull, and Audi are pushing for an FIA ruling before the first race to address this issue.

When Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff described Red Bull as the "benchmark" on the first day of testing, some wondered if he was attempting to influence the decision on potential rule changes before the first race.

Mercedes' competitors may have been employing a similar strategy, with Verstappen labeling Wolff's comments as a "diversion tactic." Leclerc believes Mercedes is concealing more information than they are letting on.

According to Leclerc, the current competitive landscape shows Red Bull and Mercedes at the forefront, with Ferrari trailing behind, although the gap does not appear to be significant at this point. Meanwhile, world champions McLaren are proving to be more challenging to assess.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has cautioned against reading too much into the testing results, but initial indications suggest that Ferrari and Mercedes are leading the pack in terms of performance.

Aston Martin is currently around four seconds behind the top teams.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are entering their fourth season as teammates at Aston Martin.

The top four teams are followed by a gap of approximately 1.5 to two seconds, with a midfield group consisting of Haas, Alpine, and Audi, and then Racing Bulls and Williams. At the rear are Cadillac and Aston Martin, who are being unusually transparent about their performance.

Aston Martin is under intense scrutiny, with Alonso at the helm, design legend Adrian Newey on board since March, and Honda as their new engine partner.

However, the team has had a disappointing start to the year, with the car being around four seconds off the pace, according to Lance Stroll.

An analysis of the GPS data reveals that approximately 1.5 seconds of the deficit can be attributed to the engine, while the remainder is due to the car's performance, particularly in slower corners.

The question on everyone's mind is how this significant gap has occurred.

It appears that a combination of factors has contributed to this situation, including the delayed arrival of Adrian Newey and the team's decision to build their own gearbox for the first time, as well as Honda's struggles after re-entering the sport.

Honda had officially withdrawn from F1 in 2021 and disbanded a significant portion of its engine department before reversing its decision in 2023. Despite this, the company had continued to work on upgrading its existing engine, but its lead time for the new regulations has not been significantly different from Red Bull's, and yet Honda is still lagging behind.

Alonso expressed his frustration with Aston Martin's performance on Thursday, removing his gloves in disappointment after exiting the car.

This could potentially be Alonso's final season in F1, as he is set to turn 45 in July and his contract is up for renewal at the end of the year. Spending the season at the back of the pack was not what he had anticipated.

Alonso acknowledged that the team is not in the position they had hoped for, citing their late start to testing, ongoing reliability issues, and the resulting lack of time to refine the car.

Pedro de la Rosa, a former F1 driver who has been with the team as long as Alonso and has been appointed team representative, reflected on the situation, stating that hindsight is always easy, but if the team had started earlier, or if Adrian Newey had arrived sooner, or if Honda had not withdrawn and then returned, things might be different.

De la Rosa emphasized that the focus should be on moving forward, rather than dwelling on past mistakes, and that the team needs to develop a plan to address their current shortcomings.

He expressed confidence that the team can identify and work on their issues, which will eventually lead to a reduction in the gap between them and the top teams, although the timeframe for this is uncertain.

The fastest lap times from the first Bahrain test are as follows:

1. Kimi Antonelli (Italy) Mercedes – 1:33.669 minutes

2. George Russell (GB) Mercedes – 1:33.918 minutes

3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) Ferrari – 1:34.209 minutes

4. Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari – 1:34.273 minutes

5. Oscar Piastri (Australia) McLaren – 1:34.549 minutes

6. Lando Norris (GB) McLaren – 1:34.669 minutes

7. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull – 1:34.798 minutes

8. Oliver Bearman (GB) Haas – 1:35.349 minutes

9. Esteban Ocon (France) – 1:35.578 minutes

10. Franco Colapinto (Argentina) Alpine – 1:35.806 minutes

11. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Audi – 1:36.291 minutes

12. Isack Hadjar (France) Red Bull – 1:35.610 minutes

13. Gabriel Bortoleto (Brazil) Audi – 1:36.670 minutes

14. Pierre Gasly (France) Alpine – 1:36.765 minutes

15. Alex Albon (Thailand) Williams – 1:36.793 minutes

16. Liam Lawson (New Zealand) Racing Bulls – 1:36.808 minutes

17. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Cadillac – 1:36.824 minutes

18. Carlos Sainz (Spain) Williams – 1:37.186 minutes

19. Arvid Lindblad (GB) Racing Bulls – 1:37.470 minutes

20. Lance Stroll (Canada) Aston Martin – 1:38.165 minutes

21. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Aston Martin – 1:38.248 minutes

Sergio Perez of Mexico secured a time of 1:38.653 while driving for Cadillac, with his performance recorded as 22.

Photographs of the 2026 F1 cars have been taken during testing in Bahrain, providing a visual showcase of the vehicles.

The 2026 F1 season introduces new terms, including active aero and overtake mode, which describe key features of the cars.

The 2026 F1 season will see significant changes, including the biggest rule change to date, as well as the participation of a British teenager, marking notable developments in the sport.