Charles Leclerc took part in the afternoon session at the wheel of the Ferrari SF-26 on Day 4 of the Barcelona tests. Here is a detailed look at the work carried out by the Monegasque driver and what happened during the session.
The Maranello team alternated Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the wheel of the SF-26 on Day 4 of the Barcelona tests. After Hamilton’s morning run, it was Leclerc who drove the Ferrari during the afternoon session on the Spanish circuit, allowing the team to continue its structured testing programme.
Earlier in the morning, Hamilton completed as many as 87 laps without any reliability issues emerging. During the session, the seven-time world champion made only a minor mistake with no consequences. Between Turns 11 and 12, the Briton spun and completed a 360-degree rotation, before immediately continuing with the planned programme. Lewis Hamilton went on to set his best lap time of 1:18.654 on medium (C2) tyres. The British driver was finally able to run the SF-26 in dry conditions following Tuesday’s wet session. Attention then shifted to what unfolded in the afternoon with Leclerc at the wheel.
Leclerc completes 83 laps in the SF-26
According to data reported by SoyMotor.com, the Prancing Horse completed a total of 170 laps on Day 2 alone. When combined with Tuesday’s running, the overall tally rises to 291 laps. At 14:00, Charles Leclerc took to the track in the SF-26 fitted with Flow-Viz paint, the green coating used to analyse aerodynamic airflow during on-track testing.
Once again, there were no issues for the Maranello-built power unit, which has so far demonstrated solid reliability based on what has been observed. Mercedes-powered cars have also completed a significant number of laps, and in terms of power unit performance, the Brackley-based manufacturer is currently considered the benchmark.
The new Maranello single-seater, running in its baseline specification, allowed Ferrari to gather a substantial amount of data. During the afternoon, Charles Leclerc completed 83 laps, setting a best time of 1:18.223, four tenths quicker than his team-mate’s morning benchmark. If the other Ferrari-powered team, Cadillac, is also taken into account, a further 66 laps were completed today without any major issues.
By contrast, McLaren, which is powered by a Mercedes power unit, was unable to run with Oscar Piastri due to a fuel system problem, limiting the amount of track time available to the Woking-based team.
Below are the lap times and lap counts recorded during the session:
RUS: 1’16”445 (78 laps)
ANT: 1’17”081 (90 laps)
LEC: 1’18”223 (83 laps)
PIA: 1’18”419 (48 laps)
LIN: 1’18”451 (47 laps)
HAM: 1’18”654 (85 laps)
LAW: 1’18”840 (64 laps)
PER: 1’21”024 (66 laps)
STR: 1’46”404 (5 laps)
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