Lewis Hamilton closed Formula 1’s five-day 2026 power unit shakedown in Barcelona with the fastest lap of the week, underlining Mercedes’ impressive preparation ahead of the new technical era. The seven-time world champion posted a 1m16.348s on soft tyres during Friday’s final session at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, edging former teammate George Russell‘s Thursday benchmark. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had dominated the morning running with a 1m16.653s, three-quarters of a second clear of Oscar Piastri, before Hamilton’s late flourish on softer compound rubber. The shakedown served its primary purpose of accumulating vital mileage for the heavily revised power units, with Mercedes leading the reliability stakes across the test week.
Mercedes dominates reliability statistics across test week
Mercedes established itself as the benchmark for both performance and endurance during the Barcelona shakedown, completing more than 500 laps across its three allocated running days on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The German manufacturer’s reliability advantage extended beyond its factory team, with customer outfits McLaren and Alpine contributing to an estimated 1000 total laps for the Mercedes power unit across all four teams. Williams, Mercedes’ fourth customer, remained absent due to ongoing production delays that have pushed back its car reveal.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli showcased the W16’s durability credentials on Wednesday by completing a full race simulation, providing Mercedes with invaluable data about tyre degradation and fuel consumption patterns under the new technical regulations. George Russell followed up on Thursday with an unofficial 1m16.4s that stood as the fastest time until Hamilton’s Friday effort, demonstrating consistent pace across different drivers and conditions.
The mileage accumulation proved particularly significant given the scale of changes for 2026, with new power unit regulations demanding thorough validation before the official pre-season tests in Bahrain. Mercedes’ ability to run trouble-free across multiple days suggests its early development work has translated effectively to track conditions.
Ferrari shows competitive pace in morning sessions
Charles Leclerc delivered Ferrari’s strongest showing of the week on Friday morning, posting a 1m16.653s that topped the unofficial timesheet by nearly eight-tenths over Piastri’s McLaren. The Monegasque driver completed 78 laps during the morning session, providing Ferrari with substantial data about the SF-25’s behaviour under varying fuel loads and tyre conditions.
Ferrari’s power unit logged the second-highest mileage across the shakedown week, trailing only Mercedes in terms of total laps completed. The Scuderia’s reliability performance assumes added significance given Lewis Hamilton’s arrival from Mercedes, with the team keen to demonstrate its technical infrastructure can support a championship challenge. Hamilton’s afternoon switch to soft tyres yielded the fastest lap but represented a different testing programme to Leclerc’s morning work on harder compounds.
The Italian manufacturer’s customer relationship with Haas also contributed valuable running time, with the VF-26 participating in Friday’s sessions. The combined Ferrari engine mileage suggests strong preparation for the regulation changes, though the true competitive picture remains unclear given the varied testing programmes and tyre compounds used across different teams.
McLaren rebounds after Piastri’s early setback
Oscar Piastri enjoyed a significantly smoother Friday after his Thursday running ended prematurely due to a fuel system issue. The Australian completed 80 laps in the morning session, posting the second-fastest time while establishing a productive rhythm that had eluded him during his troubled opening days. “It was good,” Piastri explained. “Nice to get some good laps on the board this morning, much smoother day than the first two we’ve had. I got into a pretty good rhythm and was able to start to feel what the car’s actually like.”
Reigning world champion Lando Norris reinforced McLaren’s competitive showing during the cold afternoon session, posting a 1m16.594s that briefly stood as the day’s fastest lap before Hamilton’s late improvement. The British driver’s performance demonstrated the MCL39’s adaptability to varying track conditions, with afternoon temperatures dropping significantly from the morning’s warmer window.
McLaren’s productive Friday helped offset the time lost during Piastri’s fuel issue, allowing the Woking-based team to gather crucial data about the Mercedes power unit’s integration with its chassis. The team’s strong showing suggests its development direction for 2025 has translated effectively into early track performance, though the shakedown’s focus remained firmly on mileage accumulation rather than outright lap times.
Verstappen returns as Red Bull resumes programme
Max Verstappen marked his return to the RB22 cockpit on Friday morning, completing 69 laps after Red Bull’s enforced absence since Tuesday following Isack Hadjar’s crash. The four-time world champion posted a best time of 1m18.285s, significantly slower than the leading times but reflecting a different testing programme focused on systems validation and baseline data collection.
Red Bull’s Ford Powertrain partnership logged the third-highest mileage among engine suppliers, trailing Mercedes and Ferrari but demonstrating solid reliability given the disruption caused by Hadjar’s incident. The American manufacturer’s return to Formula 1 as a power unit partner represents one of the major storylines for 2026, with Red Bull Powertrains rebranded under the Ford banner.
Verstappen’s trouble-free morning provided essential reassurance after Tuesday’s setback, allowing Red Bull to validate systems across race distance simulations. The team’s ability to recover quickly from the Hadjar crash and resume productive testing suggests strong operational flexibility ahead of the season-opening race in Australia.
Aston Martin’s radical design attracts attention
Aston Martin generated significant paddock interest during its final two days of running, with the AMR26 featuring distinctive sidepod and engine cover designs under Adrian Newey’s technical leadership. Lance Stroll managed just five laps on Thursday before causing a late red flag, but Fernando Alonso enjoyed smoother progress on Friday with at least 49 completed tours.
The Silverstone-based team’s unique aerodynamic approach, bearing Newey’s fingerprints alongside technical director Enrico Cardile’s influence, suggested an aggressive interpretation of the 2026 regulations. Aston Martin’s late arrival to the shakedown limited its total mileage compared to teams that participated across more days, but the AMR26’s visual distinctiveness confirmed the team’s willingness to explore unconventional solutions.
Alonso’s Friday running provided Aston Martin with its first substantial data set about the new car’s behaviour, though the limited track time compared to rivals like Mercedes leaves the team facing a steeper learning curve heading into Bahrain’s official pre-season test.
Smooth final day sets positive tone for Bahrain
Friday’s session ran without red flag interruptions, marking the smoothest day of the week after several incidents disrupted earlier running. The trouble-free afternoon allowed all participating teams to maximize their allocated track time, gathering crucial baseline data ahead of the official pre-season test in Bahrain scheduled for February 11-13. The collective mileage accumulated across the week provided teams with essential validation of the revised power units and initial chassis development directions, though the true competitive order remains uncertain given the varied testing programmes and tyre compounds employed.
