Barcelona F1 testing day 5: Ferrari shines, McLaren strong, Aston Martin focuses on reliability
The fifth and final day of pre-season F1 testing in Barcelona featured almost all teams on track, with only Mercedes and Red Bull absent, having already completed their programs. Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Haas, Audi, and Alpine made the most of the last morning available.
Morning session
The Ferrari SF-26 delivered very encouraging signs. Charles Leclerc showed a steady progression, eventually taking the lead in the session. After initially focusing on long runs and data collection, Ferrari pushed harder, dipping below 1:17 and further improving on soft tires. It seems the team deliberately held back their full potential in the early days, now slowly revealing their pace.
Oscar Piastri opened the morning for McLaren, setting the fastest lap initially and improving multiple times before being surpassed by Leclerc. The MCL40 looked solid and reliable, with a clean program and no interruptions, confirming a strong overall balance. Max Verstappen worked quietly for Red Bull, not aiming for outright lap times. His program focused on consistency and data gathering, producing times well off the top but without technical issues.
Fernando Alonso ran for long periods at a limited pace. The Aston Martin AMR26 was clearly engaged in Honda power unit reliability checks, using conservative engine mappings and a deliberately controlled pace. Haas impressed with mileage thanks to Oliver Bearman, while Audi and Alpine conducted more conventional programs, steady but without peak performance bursts.
Morning results
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – 1:16.653 (79 laps)
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren – 1:17.446 (79)
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull – 1:18.285 (69)
- Oliver Bearman – Haas – 1:18.423 (105)
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine – 1:19.754 (78)
- Felipe Bortoleto – Audi – 1:20.179 (64)
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – 1:20.795 (49)
- Valtteri Bottas – Cadillac – 1:22.790 (33)
Afternoon session
In the afternoon, focus shifted to more aggressive simulations. Lewis Hamilton joined the track for the final session, concentrating primarily on single-lap pace. Soft tires and a possible qualifying simulation rounded off the Ferrari SF-26 program, confirming a solid overall foundation. In the closing minutes, the British champion set the fastest lap of the Barcelona tests, recording a 1:16.348.
Lando Norris set his personal best of the day at 1:16.594, demonstrating excellent single-lap speed. Fuel load remains an unknown factor, but the signal is strong.
Alonso continued with a similar approach: few laps, limited speed, and a clear focus on reliability for the new Honda engine. All teams carried out regular activities, with some qualifying simulations towards the end, but no standout pace spikes. Cadillac continued accumulating mileage, while Audi and Alpine alternated between soft and medium tire runs.
It was an intense day that closed the Barcelona tests, leaving Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren as the key reference points, though many performance values remain to be analyzed ahead of Bahrain.
Final results of the day
Here are the unofficial results from the last day of Barcelona testing:
- Lewis Hamilton – 1:16.348 – 63 laps
- Lando Norris – 1:16.594 – 83 laps
- Charles Leclerc – 1:16.653 – 78 laps
- Oscar Piastri – 1:17.446 – 80 laps
- Max Verstappen – 1:18.05 – 118 laps
- Pierre Gasly – 1:17.707 – 160 laps
- Esteban Ocon – 1:18.393 – 85 laps
- Oliver Bearman – 1:18.423 – 106 laps
- Nico Hülkenberg – 1:19.870 – 78 laps
- Felipe Bortoleto – 1:20.179 – 66 laps
- Fernando Alonso – 1:20.795 – 49 laps
- Valtteri Bottas – 1:20.920 – 54 laps
The final day of testing in Barcelona has provided a fascinating glimpse into the 2026 hierarchy, with Ferrari and McLaren emerging as the primary challengers to the high standard set by Mercedes earlier in the week. While Lewis Hamilton’s chart-topping lap provides a headline-grabbing finish for the Scuderia, the sheer volume of laps completed by Haas and Alpine suggests that the new generation of power units is reaching maturity faster than many expected. As the teams pack up for the official pre-season tests in Bahrain, the focus now shifts from basic reliability to pure performance, where the data gathered at Montmeló will be the key to unlocking the true potential of these new 2026 machines.
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