The fourth day of the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya featured notable performances from leading teams like Mercedes and Ferrari, amid technical challenges and new car debuts. Mercedes stood out by demonstrating exceptional reliability and speed, setting a confident tone ahead of upcoming events, while Aston Martin made its delayed first appearance with the new AMR26 vehicle. Various teams managed to maximize dry track conditions, although a late-session red flag brought an early end to the day’s running.
Mercedes completed their planned three-day test program with strong lap counts and solid pace, whereas Aston Martin finally introduced their revised car to the circuit. Some teams, including Alpine, Audi, Haas, and Red Bull, were absent from running on day four; specifically, Red Bull focused on repairing damage to their RB22 following a crash. Repairs required parts sourced from their base in Milton Keynes, delaying their participation this week.
Overview of Team Efforts and Performance Details
Mercedes demonstrated outstanding consistency throughout the shakedown with their W17 chassis, completing 499 laps across three days. On the final day, George Russell marked the fastest lap time of the test week at 1 minute 16.445 seconds, entering an unprecedented time bracket for the session. Kimi Antonelli started the morning driving duties, logging a lap of 1 minute 17.081 seconds. The team concentrated heavily on endurance runs and refining power unit settings as they prepare for Bahrain’s premiere tests. Antonelli shared his thoughts on the progress:
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’s duo, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, combined efforts in the SF-26 during improved dry weather conditions after earlier rain hampered testing. The two drivers completed 174 laps in total, with Hamilton describing the experience as “amazing” despite an early spin at Turn 11 on cold tires. Both consistently posted lap times within the 1 minute 18 second range, and Leclerc positioned himself third fastest overall.
McLaren’s session was hampered by a fuel system complication that restricted Oscar Piastri to just 48 laps after he took over from Lando Norris. Piastri expressed enthusiasm for returning in the new car while acknowledging the challenges faced by teams this season:
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.
McLaren’s technical director Mark Temple added that diagnosing the problem required a complete disassembly of the vehicle. Mechanical complexity is clearly being tested early in this season’s new regulations.
Aston Martin made their much-anticipated debut with the AMR26, designed by Adrian Newey, featuring unique sidepod and engine cover styling in an unfinished livery. Lance Stroll managed only a handful of laps before the car came to a halt on track, prompting a red flag that ended the session prematurely. Fernando Alonso is slated to pilot the car on Friday in his first running of the season. The team’s arrival at Barcelona was eagerly watched within the paddock, with excitement building around the innovations brought by Newey’s expertise.
Adrian Newey’s first Aston Martin, the AMR26, hits the track in the Barcelona Shakedown! 🤩👀#F1 pic.twitter.com/ytWJSs0s2F
The Racing Bulls squad, racing under the VCARB banner, split driving duties between Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson in a conservative testing session focused on reliability. The team consistently posted lap times around the 1 minute 18 second mark, fulfilling their designated test runs quietly but steadily.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez returned for Cadillac’s second day on track, completing 66 laps and recording a best lap time of 1 minute 21.024 seconds. Beyond McLaren’s fuel system fault and Aston Martin’s stoppage, the test remained largely incident-free. Tire choice details were not disclosed for the sessions.
Implications and Next Steps for the Season’s Opening Phase
The fourth day of testing highlighted Mercedes’ advantage in combining high reliability with competitive pace, creating early momentum as teams prepare for the Bahrain official pre-season test. Ferrari’s consistent dry-weather performance suggested promising competitiveness, while the hurdles faced by McLaren and Aston Martin reflected typical development challenges associated with new technical rules. The shakedown phase concludes on Friday, paving the way for teams to apply these learnings under Bahrain’s official pre-season conditions.
Red Bull has acquired the necessary spare parts to repair the damaged RB22 chassis, enabling Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, to return to running on Friday. The repairs were required following a rear-end collision involving Hadjar, which kept Red Bull off the track for both Wednesday and Thursday.
Despite missing running during the midweek, Verstappen still retains the ability to complete a full day on track during the remaining test sessions, aiming to make up for lost track time.
https://twitter.com/F1/status/2016927364630929760
