All articles tagged with #barcelona shakedown
Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest unofficial lap on the final day of Barcelona’s 2026 F1 shakedown after switching to soft tyres, while Mercedes completed the most mileage across the week. Charles Leclerc topped the morning times, Lando Norris set the best afternoon lap before Hamilton’s late run, and other teams continued testing ahead of Bahrain pre-season tests.
Lewis Hamilton set the final-day unofficial fastest lap (1:16.348) as Mercedes led the Barcelona shakedown with the week’s most mileage (over 500 laps across three days) in a mileage-focused prelude to Bahrain. Charles Leclerc topped the morning times (1:16.653) with Lando Norris (1:16.594) and Oscar Piastri close behind before Hamilton sealed top spot after a late switch to soft tyres. Ferrari engines were second in mileage and Red Bull Ford Powertrains third, with Max Verstappen returning on Friday for 69 laps (best 1:18.285) after Isack Hadjar’s crash earlier in the week. Aston Martin drew attention for its distinctive sidepod/engine-cover design; Williams were absent due to production delays, while Haas, Audi and Cadillac also ran. No red flags interrupted the day as teams prepare for Bahrain on 11–13 February.
Red Bull is evaluating plans for a final day of Barcelona testing after Isack Hadjar crashed the RB22 in wet conditions, damaging the rear of the car. It’s unclear whether the incident was Hadjar’s error or a car issue, and the team will assess the damage before deciding whether to run on the last available day, with Verstappen having completed the morning session and the squad continuing its heavy pre-season program around its own power unit.