Mercedes Mileage Sets Pace; AMR26 Debut Draws Scrutiny

On the penultimate day of the Barcelona pre-season test Mercedes established a clear benchmark, George Russell posting the fastest unofficial lap of 1:16.641 while the Silver Arrows completed 168 laps and wrapped up their allocated three days of running. Kimi Antonelli also featured near the top in morning running, and Mercedes’ mileage advantage contrasted with other teams still sorting reliability work. Ferrari ran both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc across the sessions, combining for about 170 laps; Hamilton recovered from a minor spin and Leclerc posted a 1:19.128 on Day 4 before closing to within 0.2 seconds of Russell’s benchmark on the final shakedown day. Those times framed the early performance picture heading into the next test and the season opener in Bahrain.

Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey–designed AMR26 finally arrived late in Barcelona and made a headline-grabbing debut: Lance Stroll completed a single timed lap of 1:46.404 on Day 4 before the car stopped on track and triggered a red flag. The all‑black AMR26 was powered by a Honda unit, and the team followed up on Friday with Fernando Alonso at the wheel for a more measured run; reports indicated Aston Martin ran Alonso with a restricted speed range of roughly 230–275 km/h while checking systems and the new power unit. The late introduction, brief stoppage and the high-profile driving rotation put the revised Aston Martin–Honda pairing at the center of attention throughout the shakedown.

The rest of the test was marked by a mix of reliability and logistical setbacks: McLaren curtailed running for Oscar Piastri after a fuel‑system issue, Red Bull stayed away while awaiting spare parts following Isack Hadjar’s heavy crash earlier in the week, Haas missed a day with mechanical problems, Alpine and Audi postponed their programs to Friday, and Williams was absent for the entire shakedown because of FW48 build delays. Taken together, the Barcelona sessions left Mercedes with the clearest pace and mileage advantage, Aston Martin drawing scrutiny with a troubled but important AMR26 debut, and several teams continuing to address technical and logistical concerns before further pre-season running.