A detailed telemetry overlay comparing Oscar Piastri’s 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix pole lap with Kimi Antonelli’s fastest lap from the opening Manama pre‑season test has offered a clear early insight yet into how Formula 1’s new‑generation cars behave on track. F1Technical’s senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers his latest analysis.
The visual shows orange segments where Piastri’s McLaren was quicker last year, and green segments where Antonelli’s 2026 Mercedes gained time — creating a revealing map of performance evolution under the new regulations.
The result is a nuanced picture: the 2026 cars are not universally faster or slower, but instead show distinct strengths and weaknesses tied to the sport’s shift toward reduced downforce, simplified aerodynamics, and greater reliance on mechanical grip.
Straight‑line Speed: A clear win for 2026
One of the most striking features of the comparison is the green dominance on Bahrain’s long straights. The new power unit regulations — with increased electrical deployment and reduced drag — appear to give the 2026 cars a noticeable top‑speed advantage.
Teams had hinted at this during testing, and the telemetry confirms it that Antonelli’s car consistently pulls ahead on the straights, and the speed delta grows progressively with distance. Moreover, energy deployment appears smoother and more sustained.
This aligns with expectations that the 2026 cars would be lighter on aero drag and more efficient in hybrid output, even if peak cornering performance has dropped.
High‑Speed corners: 2025 still has the edge
Where the orange segments reappear is in Bahrain’s fast, sweeping corners — particularly the long, loaded sections where downforce is king.
Piastri’s 2025 McLaren, running under the final year of the high‑downforce regulations, carries visibly more speed through: Turn 6–7, the fast kink before Turn 11, and the long Turn 12.
These are precisely the areas where teams expected to lose performance under the 2026 rules. With simplified wings, reduced floor load, and a shift toward mechanical grip, the new cars simply cannot match the aerodynamic stability of their predecessors.
In addition, the new power units and energy management might also impact cornering speeds in high-speed corners. The so-called super clipping mainly occurs at the end of the straights is, but drivers might also use it through high-speed corners.
The super clipping is a special energy mode in which the 2026 cars can harvest energy while the driver is at full throttle. While super clipping, not all of the power goes directly to the rear wheels; part of it is stored via the MGU-K for deployment later.
Teams will need to find out how to get on with the reduced energy level they have at their disposal which could lead to unusual things and tactics engineers and drivers are not used to.
While teams might adjust the way they extract the most from the all-new power units, the pre-season testing had already shown that the sweeping, long-radius, high-speed sections of the Bahrain circuit might present a section where drivers will sacrifice a significant amount of cornering speed in order to harvest energy in order to use that on long straights.
Low‑Speed Corners: A Surprising Strength for 2026
Interestingly, the telemetry shows several green patches in Bahrain’s slower corners — a sign that the new cars may be more agile than anticipated.
Antonelli gains time at Turn 1 braking and rotation, at Turn 8’s tight hairpin, at the final corner and at Turn 15. This suggests that mechanical grip has been improved compared to last year. Moreover, the revised tyre construction also contributes to a better traction.
In addition, drivers had reported during testing that the 2026 cars feel “alive” at low speeds but “friendlier” on corner entry, and the data appears to support that.
Mid‑Corner Stability: A Mixed Bag
The comparison shows alternating orange and green through medium‑speed sequences, indicating that the 2026 cars can match 2025 performance in some mid‑speed corners. However, they lose out in longer, sustained lateral‑load sections.
This is consistent with the aerodynamic philosophy shift: the new cars generate downforce more cleanly but less aggressively, making them less sensitive to turbulence but also less planted in long-duration corners.
Overall Lap Profile: Different Strengths, Similar Pace
Despite the contrasting performance characteristics, Antonelli’s 2026 lap is competitive with Piastri’s 2025 pole time — a promising sign for the new regulations.
The telemetry suggests: the 2026 cars are faster in straight lines and low‑speed corners, albeit the 2025 cars remain superior in high‑speed aero‑dependent sections.