F1’s Secret 2026 Shakedown: Day Four Developments

Aston Martin eventually made its debut on the circuit during the concluding hours of the Barcelona Formula 1 test’s fourth day, in contrast to Mercedes which continued accumulating mileage, and McLaren’s session concluded prematurely due to issues.

Having each completed more than 90 laps the previous day, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell once more shared driving duties on Thursday, engaging in both extended and brief stints to master different engine settings.

Russell recorded an unofficial best time of 1 minute and 16.6 seconds; however, instead of focusing on impressive headlines regarding quickest laps or purported record times, the primary objective in Barcelona involves accumulating data and track distance, an aspect where Mercedes has clearly demonstrated proficiency.

Consequently, Mercedes has completed its allotted three testing days in Barcelona and can return home with the assurance of having covered significantly more ground than any other team with its W17, a car that has performed consistently well and received favorable assessments from its drivers.

Antonelli stated, `”We go [to Bahrain testing] 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.”`

In stark contrast, Aston Martin barely managed to participate on day four, having airlifted its vehicle to the circuit on Wednesday, subsequent to an earlier declaration that it intended to postpone its initial run to ensure its AMR26 was fully operational.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

Piloted by Lance Stroll, the Adrian Newey-designed AMR26, still in its raw, unpainted state, eventually emerged for a mere five laps during the session’s concluding sixty minutes, showcasing what appeared to be an unusually distinctive sidepod and engine cover aesthetic when compared to competing vehicles.

Stroll prompted a late stoppage, bringing the session to a red flag just moments before its anticipated 6 PM local time conclusion. Fernando Alonso is slated to drive the Honda-powered car on Friday, the fifth and last day of the shakedown period.

Oscar Piastri assumed control of the fresh McLaren MCL40 from his colleague, reigning world champion Lando Norris, on the second day of track time for the 2026 McLaren. Following 48 laps, the Australian stayed in the pit box for the remainder of the afternoon as the team discovered a fuel system problem necessitating a probe.

Piastri communicated, `“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.”`

Mark Temple, McLaren’s technical director for performance, further remarked: “The car is very complex, so we decided to bring the car back into the garage and strip it down to fully understand where the problem is coming from, ahead of tomorrow’s running.”

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: McLaren

Subsequent to his Tuesday track time being limited to wet conditions, Lewis Hamilton rejoined his Ferrari SF-26 and described it as “amazing” to complete 85 dry laps, notwithstanding an initial spin exiting Turn 11 during his out-lap when his cold tires had difficulty gripping the cool Catalan track.

Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls VCARB 03 was another participant in the morning, a team that has also now exhausted its three-day allocation. Following a subdued introduction on Monday, Cadillac made its second appearance with Sergio Perez at the controls.

Alpine, Audi, Haas, and Red Bull all abstained from Thursday’s sessions and are anticipated to be back on the circuit on Friday. For Red Bull specifically, it is believed the team transported spare components from Milton Keynes to aid in rectifying the harm incurred from Isack Hadjar’s incident on Tuesday.

Barcelona F1 Pre-Season Test – Day 4 Lap Tally