The initial pre-season testing for the 2026 F1 season wrapped up after five days of on-track activity at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. Conducted behind closed doors, this shakedown provided teams with their first opportunity to push the new 2026 Challenger cars hard, accumulate valuable mileage, and collect early insights under the latest regulations.
Here is a summary of each team’s and driver’s lap counts and their top lap times recorded at Barcelona (unofficial):
Fastest Lap Times
- Lewis Hamilton – 1:16.348
- George Russell – 1:16.445
- Lando Norris – 1:16.594
- Charles Leclerc – 1:16.653
- Kimi Antonelli – 1:17.081
- Oscar Piastri – 1:17.446
- Max Verstappen – 1:17.586
- Pierre Gasly – 1:17.707
- Isaac Hajar – 1:18.159
- Esteban Ocon – 1:18.393
… and others trailing behind.
Hamilton set the fastest lap late on the final day, narrowly edging out teammate Russell by nearly a tenth of a second. Meanwhile, reigning champion Lando Norris secured third place overall, with Aston Martin and Cadillac drivers appearing at the lower end of the timesheets.
Team Mileage
Mercedes displayed reliability and endurance by completing the most laps—502 in total—boosted by the efforts of Russell and Antonelli who each completed over 500 laps. Ferrari followed with 440 laps, and Haas ranked third with 386. Aston Martin, having arrived late, completed just 65 laps, placing them last in terms of mileage.
Power Unit Mileage
Mercedes-powered teams logged the highest combined number of laps at 1,142, benefiting from customer teams McLaren and Alpine as well. Ferrari’s race engines accounted for 990 laps, Red Bull Powertrain reached 622 laps, while Audi and Honda had fewer laps due to supplying only one team each.
Driver Lap Counts
George Russell led the drivers with 265 laps completed. Esteban Ocon and Kimi Antonelli were next, with 239 and 237 laps respectively. On the opposite end, Lance Stroll managed just four laps before encountering mechanical issues.
This solid start for key teams and power unit suppliers is encouraging, though Aston Martin’s limited running highlights the challenges ahead.
Fan Take:
This early testing phase is crucial for gauging which teams have embraced the new regulations most effectively, making Hamilton and Mercedes’ pace especially noteworthy. For racing fans, these insights hint at an exciting and competitive 2026 season filled with emerging rivalries and strategic battles on track.
