Formula 1 News: 2026 Pre-Season Testing in Barcelona – Day 4

The fourth day of the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya saw a mix of strong reliability from frontrunners like Mercedes (pictured) and Ferrari, alongside debut appearances and technical hiccups for others.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Mercedes wrapped up their three-day allocation with impressive lap counts and pace, while Aston Martin finally hit the track with their new AMR26 car. Dry conditions allowed for more representative running compared to earlier wet sessions, though a late red flag curtailed the day slightly early. Teams absent from the track included Alpine, Audi, Haas, and Red Bull, with the latter addressing damage from a prior crash by sourcing spare parts from their Milton Keynes base.

Key Highlights and Team Performances

– Mercedes: The team showcased exceptional reliability in their W17, completing a total of 499 laps across their three test days, including 167 on Day 4. George Russell set the benchmark with the quickest lap of the week at 1m16.445s, dipping into the 1m16s for the first time. Kimi Antonelli handled the morning session, posting a 1m17.081s. The focus was on long runs and power unit modes, building confidence ahead of Bahrain. Antonelli commented: “We go [to Bahrain] with high confidence and high hopes because, definitely, it’s been good. Obviously, we had our issues during the shakedown, but we were able to fix them and now we can be sure that in Bahrain we can more or less hit the ground running there as well.”

– Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton combined for 174 laps in the SF-26, benefiting from dry-weather running after a wet Tuesday. Hamilton described the experience as “amazing” despite an early spin at Turn 11 on cold tires. Both drivers lapped in the 1m18s, with Leclerc third overall.

– McLaren: Oscar Piastri took over from Lando Norris but was limited to 48 laps due to a fuel system issue that ended their afternoon running. Piastri noted: “It was nice to be back out today, especially in the new car. There’s a lot of challenges this year up and down the grid, so it was good to get stuck in. We had a fuel system issue, which cut our day short, but the team’s working hard to get that fixed and back out tomorrow.” Technical director Mark Temple added that the car’s complexity prompted a full strip-down to diagnose the problem.

– Aston Martin: The team made a delayed debut with the Adrian Newey-designed AMR26, featuring a unique sidepod and engine cover design in an unpainted livery. Lance Stroll completed just 4-5 exploratory laps before stopping on track, triggering a red flag that ended the session early. Fernando Alonso is set to drive on Friday in the Honda-powered machine.

Adrian Newey’s first Aston Martin, the AMR26, hits the track in the Barcelona Shakedown! 🤩👀#F1 pic.twitter.com/ytWJSs0s2F

— Formula 1 (@F1) January 29, 2026

– Racing Bulls (VCARB): Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson shared duties, with the team completing their three-day allowance in a low-key session. They posted times in the 1m18s, focusing on reliability.

– Cadillac: Sergio Perez returned for the team’s second day, logging 66 laps with a best of 1m21.024s.

No major incidents were reported beyond McLaren’s fuel issue and Aston Martin’s stoppage. Tire compounds were not detailed in the sessions.

Day 4 Leaderboard

The following table summarizes the unofficial lap times and laps completed, based on available data:

Conclusion

Day 4 underscored Mercedes’ early edge in reliability and pace, setting a strong tone for the upcoming Bahrain tests. While Ferrari showed promise in dry conditions, teams like McLaren and Aston Martin faced teething issues typical of new regulations. With the shakedown concluding Friday, attention turns to how these insights translate to the official pre-season in Bahrain.

Red Bull has received the spare parts it needs to repair the RB22 for Max Verstappen to drive on Friday, we can confirm.

Hadjar’s accident caused significant rear damage to the RB22, leading Red Bull to skip running on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Verstappen has track time remaining within the Red Bull camp, with the four-time world champion still permitted to complete a full day of running.