Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest lap for Ferrari as the initial week of 2026 F1 testing wrapped up in Barcelona. The seven-time world champion showed the capabilities of his Ferrari SF-26 on soft tires, achieving a lap time of 1 minute 16.348 seconds and setting a new leading benchmark.
His lap time surpassed the previous best set by former Mercedes teammate George Russell by 0.1 seconds on the second to last day of this five-day closed-door shakedown. While early lap times should be viewed cautiously this early in the season, both Ferrari and Hamilton can take heart from the improved pace following a difficult 2025 campaign.
Ferrari not only topped the timing charts but also demonstrated strong reliability and amassed significant mileage with their 2026 car. Hamilton alluded to this positive progress after Thursday’s dry run.
Hamilton’s strong finish edged out reigning world champion Lando Norris, who had held the fastest time for much of the afternoon in his McLaren MCL40 with a 1:16.594 lap. His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, aged 41, posted a 1:16 lap on soft tires in the morning session, finishing third behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Max Verstappen was finally able to return to testing after missing the fourth day while waiting for spare parts following Izak Hajar’s heavy crash on Tuesday. The four-time world champion recovered from a small off-track incident at Turn 10 in the morning and ended the day fifth fastest with a 1:17.586 lap time.
Earlier Thursday, Fernando Alonso grabbed attention by driving Adrian Newey’s striking Aston Martin AMR26 for the first time, which made its highly anticipated debut in the last hour of practice. The two-time world champion completed 61 laps and recorded a best time of 1:20.795, improving Aston Martin’s pace and finishing 11th.
Pierre Gasly had a busy day in the Mercedes-powered Alpine, completing 164 laps—the most by any driver—and finishing sixth on the time sheets. Valtteri Bottas recorded the slowest time in 12th place, trailing over four seconds behind Cadillac’s pace.
Mercedes, which led the times on Thursday and Friday and is a frontrunner for early 2026 victories, had already used up their three days of driving allowed in the first test and did not run on Friday. Apart from Mercedes, Red Bull, and Williams—who missed this first week due to FW48 production delays—the other eight teams wrapped up their testing programs.
The F1 circus will then move to Bahrain for two official pre-season testing sessions scheduled for February 11-13 and 18-20.
Fan Take:
This update is thrilling for racing fans as it signals Ferrari’s return to strong form with Hamilton’s impressive pace, reigniting championship hopes after a disappointing previous year. The evolving battle among top teams early in testing promises an exhilarating and competitive 2026 Formula 1 season ahead.
