F1 concluded its five-day private test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya yesterday, and by the end of it, Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton ended the closed-door shakedown on top, offering an encouraging signal ahead of the next phase of preseason running in Bahrain.
Teams arrived in Barcelona with strict programs focused on mileage and early understanding of their 2026 machinery. McLaren raised the bar late in the final session, but Ferrari soon came with a clear response, and that came from the most decorated driver in the sport.
Lewis Hamilton Delivers a Timely Statement in Red
Hamilton put the SF-26 at the top of the timesheets with the fastest lap of the entire test, and that boosted the confidence of not just the entire team but also the tifosi who have been following the updates on social media.
The seven-time world champion remains one of the most influential figures F1 has ever seen, with over 100 race wins and poles to his name. His move to Ferrari has been the biggest talking point of the new era, and yesterday brought some hope for him after a disappointing season last year.
On the final afternoon in Barcelona, McLaren briefly had the upper hand as Lando Norris, driving the MCL40, went quickest with a lap of 1:16.594s, but later it became the second-fastest time recorded across the entire five-day shakedown.
Ferrari responded later in the session with a qualifying-style run as Hamilton put on a set of soft tyres and delivered a 1:16.348 lap, and that lap was not only enough to reclaim the top spot for the day, but it also stood as the quickest time of the full test.
Beyond the stopwatch, Ferrari’s day was solid in terms of workload, as the team completed 141 laps on Friday alone, a healthy number that underlined confidence in the SF-26, and for fans of the Prancing Horse, it was a calm but positive way to close the week.
Charles Leclerc also had a clean run by finishing third on the day and just three-tenths behind Hamilton.
McLaren, Mercedes Power, and Steady Progress Elsewhere
McLaren’s overall showing across the five days was hard to ignore, as Norris finished second on the final day, only 0.246 seconds behind Hamilton, and both McLaren drivers managed to dip below the 1:17 mark during the test. Piastri’s best effort stopped at 1:17.446s, still competitive despite being on slightly different track conditions.
Red Bull’s program was less focused on lap time, as Max Verstappen logged 118 laps on the final day, making him one of the busiest drivers on track. The RB22 had already suffered damage earlier in the week after Isack Hadjar’s crash at the final corner, but the team clearly fixed those issues and returned to gathering mileage.
Mercedes had already wrapped up its main test running, but its power unit continued to rack up laps through Alpine as Pierre Gasly was the most active driver on the final day, completing 160 laps and finishing just over a tenth behind Verstappen’s best time.
Ferrari’s power unit also impressed through Haas, as Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon combined a total of 191 laps, finishing seventh and eighth, and roughly just two seconds off Hamilton’s benchmark.
Aston Martin kept things conservative with Fernando Alonso running at limited speed, while Cadillac continued its early learning phase with Valtteri Bottas completing 54 laps. Audi’s R26 enjoyed a cleaner day after early struggles by logging 145 laps between Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
The Barcelona shakedown is now complete, and the sport moves soon to Bahrain for the main pre-season testing sessions.
