Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all completed over 100 laps on the final day of a long run for F1 teams in Spain, with Lewis Hamilton setting the fastest time at shakedown in Barcelona.
A week of closed-door racing at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit has come to an end, with eight teams preparing for Friday’s finale.
Ferrari, Red Bull and world champion McLaren were joined by Haas, Audi, Alpine and Cadillac, as well as Aston Martin, whose maiden Adrian Newey-designed car completed its first full day on the track with Fernando Alonso at the wheel.
Mercedes and Racing Bulls, the team that finished the week with the most laps completed (500), had already reached their three-day testing quota on Thursday. Teams could run on any three of the five days of the testing period.
As the shakedown was closed to the public, the fastest lap time has not been officially announced throughout the week, but Hamilton is believed to have topped Friday’s run by setting a best test time of 1:16.348 in the Ferrari SF-26 in the afternoon.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Lewis Hamilton said the Barcelona Shakedown was a “hugely fun week” for Ferrari.
That was a tenth faster than Mercedes’ George Russell’s 1 minute 16.445 seconds on Thursday.
McLaren’s Lando Norris ended up finishing second fastest, setting a time of 1 minute 16.594 seconds early on Friday afternoon, with Charles Leclerc in third place in the new Ferrari, setting a morning pace of 1 minute 16.653 seconds. It is believed that Friday’s three fastest times were recorded on C3 soft tyres.
Max Verstappen completed 118 laps and set the fifth fastest time as Red Bull returned to the track three days after Izak Hajjar’s crash in the wet.
“No illusions…but we can build from here” – Hamilton positive about Ferrari’s start
Individual lap times in pre-season testing are notoriously unreliable as a complete indicator of a car’s performance.
This was especially true during this ‘shakedown’ week, when teams’ focus was mostly on testing new car reliability and systems in line with F1’s 2026 regulations.
Teams also typically run different tires and fuel loads, as well as car and engine settings, across test runs, making it difficult to make accurate comparisons across the grid.
But Ferrari will no doubt take note of the strong initial reliability shown by its new car and engine after the design team overhauled the chassis and power unit ahead of the new campaign, which starts in March, due to the biggest regulation changes in the sport’s history.
Having completed almost 300 laps in the cars’ first two days on track, Leclerc and Hamilton added another 145 laps to the team’s record on Friday, taking Ferrari’s total for the week to an astonishing 440 laps.
Hamilton described it as a “really fun week”, adding: “Everyone is positive and incredibly enthusiastic, but we’re under no illusions. We know we have work to do.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Charles Leclerc reflects on ‘positive’ final day of Barcelona shakedown
“Mercedes had a great run, Red Bull and Haas had great runs as well. We don’t know where we are, but I think it’s been a solid first week and we can really improve from here.”
“It may take a big leap forward, but development will be key.
“We take every step to make sure our communications and decisions are really clear and concise.
“It takes everyone to do their best, and I see everyone coming in with renewed energy this year, which is great.”
McLaren and Red Bull make up for lost track time
Reigning double world champion McLaren will also be encouraged by Friday’s mileage, with Norris and Oscar Piastri completing 166 laps.
Piastri canceled Thursday’s run on the MCL40 due to fuel system issues.
McLaren, which did not start testing until Wednesday, said the week had been “very productive”, although it “recognizes there is still a lot to review”.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
After the final day of the Barcelona Showdown, Lando Norris spoke about what McLaren learned from the week.
Norris, who completed 86 laps in the afternoon, said: “It’s easy to get caught up in comparisons. We’re all competitive, so you always want to see yourself doing well and feel like you can be faster.
“We understood a lot about both low fuel and high fuel. Tires, which is what we came here for, especially understanding the car from a reliability standpoint, making sure all the sensors are working properly, checking the PU, gearbox and everything else. Reliability is one of the most important things, so a lot of things are from that side.”
“A lot of that will be something that the team will look at, refine and refine over the coming days and weeks.
“From my side, it’s just getting used to the car. There are a few little things that need to be changed here and there. It still feels like a race car, it still feels fast, it’s still fun.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Oscar Piastri reflected on a smooth day in Barcelona’s shakedown after being plagued by problems earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Red Bull is back on track after Hajar damaged the rear of his R22 in an accident in wet conditions three days ago and had to wait for spare parts to be flown in.
Verstappen spent the entire day behind the wheel of the RB22, completing over 100 laps and setting the fifth fastest time behind Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc and Piastri.
Verstappen, who said he was feeling unwell, told F1 at the end of the day: “We did a lot of laps. We learned a lot. There’s still a lot of things we want to look at and improve, but I think that’s normal.”
“In general, it’s very good for us with the new engine to achieve this many laps and a good start for us. It’s positive, but it’s still in the early stages.”
Aston Martin begins full-scale testing of first New York Honda car
Aston Martin finally got its pre-season into full swing on day five of this week after Lance Stroll briefly escaped the garage after completing four laps in the final hours of Thursday’s session.
Alonso drove the AMR26 for the first time, completing 61 laps in his first experience of the coveted Newey-designed car ahead of F1’s 23rd season. His fastest time was 1:20.795, with focus on mileage and reliability checks as the team and new engine supplier Honda try to catch up.
“I’m really excited to get back in the car after the winter. It was really the first day for us,” said Alonso.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports Martin Brundle shares his predictions for how Aston Martin will perform throughout the new F1 season
“I think it’s a positive result. We’ve done over 60 laps and the car is responding well. There’s going to be a lot more to come on the first day and from now on.”
Alpine recorded 164 laps on Friday, tied for the second-most laps with Pierre Gasly, completing a productive week for the first Mercedes-powered car.
Centuries also passed comfortably for Haas (195 laps between Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon) and the new Audi team (148 laps between Gabriel Bortleto and Nico Hulkenberg) after each suffered reliability problems earlier in the week.
The new Cadillac team finished its first week of running alongside its rivals with Valtteri Bottas completing 54 laps.
Williams was the only team not to run this week, but said its 2026 car would be ready for the first Bahrain test in two weeks.
When will F1 Bahrain pre-season testing take place?
With the introduction of new regulations, a strong schedule of three separate test events is planned before the start of the 2026 season.
With the Barcelona shakedown complete, F1 will next head to Bahrain for two ‘official’ pre-season tests, with media in attendance and live timing from the circuit available.
Bahrain will conduct two three-day tests on February 11-13 and 18-20.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
F1 has outlined new regulation changes for 2026, including a replacement for DRS, in a plan to allow closer racing next year. Video provided by: F1
When was your first F1 race?
The team will then have two weeks to prepare for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6th to 8th.
The first practice session of the season will take place on Friday, March 6th, followed by qualifying on Saturday, March 7th and the opening race on Sunday, March 8th.
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, including the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
