Max Verstappen set the fastest time of the second day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya winter test, but both the Dutchman and rookie Isack Hadjar brought out red flags during a disrupted Tuesday session. With rain forecast throughout the day, only Ferrari and Red Bull Racing opted to run their 2025 machinery, while seven teams elected to skip the day entirely. The four-time world champion posted a 1:19.578 on dry track in the morning before handing over to Hadjar for a wet afternoon session that ended prematurely when the French rookie crashed at the final corner.
Limited running as weather forces teams to skip session
The five-day Barcelona shakedown hit its first major disruption on day two, with teams facing a strategic decision about when to deploy their three allocated running days. With heavy rain predicted, seven outfits chose to preserve their track time for better conditions later in the week. Williams remained absent from the test entirely, whilst Aston Martin reportedly encountered delays that prevented them from participating.
Ferrari and Red Bull Racing took the opposite approach, viewing the mixed conditions as valuable data-gathering opportunities. Both teams ran their full driver lineups across the morning and afternoon sessions, splitting duties between their race drivers and new signings. The decision provided crucial wet-weather running that could prove beneficial when unpredictable conditions strike during the 2025 season.
The willingness to run in difficult conditions reflects both teams’ confidence in their new packages. Ferrari’s SF-25 and Red Bull’s RB21 both completed significant mileage despite the challenging circumstances, suggesting reliable initial builds from both championship contenders.
Verstappen edges Leclerc in morning dry running
The morning session delivered a fascinating head-to-head between Verstappen and Charles Leclerc as they explored their new cars in dry conditions before rain arrived. Verstappen’s 1:19.578 stood as the benchmark for the entire day, though direct comparisons remain difficult with unknown fuel loads and tyre compounds during winter testing.
Leclerc completed a more extensive programme than his Red Bull counterpart, managing 64 laps compared to Verstappen’s 27. The Ferrari driver posted a best time of 1:20.844, more than a second slower than the Dutchman but on what appeared to be a different run plan focused on longer stints and systems checks.
The mileage difference suggests Red Bull encountered some delays or chose a more conservative approach to their morning programme. Verstappen’s session came to a temporary halt when he went off track at Turn 5, bringing out the first red flag of the day. The RB21 reportedly escaped without damage, allowing the team to continue their evaluation work once the car returned to the garage for checks.
Wet weather running provides valuable data
As rain swept across the Barcelona circuit, both teams switched to full wet tyres to explore their cars’ behaviour in treacherous conditions. The roles reversed in the wet running, with Leclerc posting the quicker time of 1:32.088 compared to Verstappen’s 1:38.254, though the six-second gap suggests very different programmes rather than pure performance differences.
Testing in wet conditions offers teams crucial information about aero balance, visibility from the cockpit, and how their new designs handle standing water. With the 2025 regulations remaining stable, understanding these characteristics early could provide an advantage if weather disrupts qualifying or race sessions during the season.
The morning session provided both teams with experience across the full spectrum of conditions, from dry running on slick tyres to heavy rain requiring extreme wet rubber. This variety of data will prove invaluable when correlating track information with simulator models back at their respective factories in Maranello and Milton Keynes.
Hamilton and Hadjar take over for wet afternoon session
The afternoon programme belonged to Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar, with the seven-time world champion making his first appearance in Ferrari red during the test and the rookie continuing his integration into the Red Bull programme. Both drivers faced exclusively wet conditions throughout their running.
Hamilton completed 51 laps in the SF-25, posting a best time in the 1:32s whilst familiarising himself with Ferrari’s systems and procedures. The British driver experienced a spin during the closing stages but continued without incident, demonstrating the kind of experience that makes him valuable to Ferrari’s championship ambitions. His ability to extract information from difficult conditions will accelerate the team’s understanding of their new package.
Hadjar managed 56 laps before his session ended abruptly with a crash at Turn 14, Barcelona’s final corner, during the last 45 minutes of running. The impact brought out the second red flag of the day and prevented Red Bull from completing their planned programme. The French driver had been building confidence throughout the afternoon, circulating in the 1:31s before the incident.
Red Bull’s rookie crash curtails afternoon programme
The premature end to Red Bull’s day raised questions about the team’s approach to integrating Hadjar, who joined as Liam Lawson’s teammate after Sergio Pérez’s departure. Winter testing represents crucial track time for the rookie to adapt to current-generation Formula 1 machinery and understand the team’s procedures before the season begins.
The crash at Turn 14 appeared to catch Hadjar out on a slippery surface, though the exact circumstances remain unclear without official confirmation from the team. The final corner at Barcelona features a long, sweeping right-hander where cars carry significant speed, making it an unforgiving place to lose control in wet conditions.
Despite the setback, Hadjar’s 56 laps exceeded Hamilton’s afternoon total and provided valuable experience for the 21-year-old. Red Bull will analyse the incident to determine whether setup changes or driving approach contributed to the off, using the information to refine their programme for the remaining test days.
Strategic implications for remaining test days
With two of the five Barcelona test days now complete, teams face crucial decisions about deploying their final allocated running day. The weather forecast will play a significant role, but so will the technical programmes each outfit needs to complete before departing Spain.
The teams that skipped Tuesday’s rain-affected session will have noted Ferrari and Red Bull’s ability to generate data despite the conditions. However, their decision to preserve dry-weather running opportunities may prove correct if the forecast improves for the remaining days. Mercedes, McLaren, and others will be eager to rack up mileage and validate the correlation between their wind tunnel work and on-track reality.
For Ferrari and Red Bull, the mixed conditions provided an unexpected bonus of wet-weather data whilst also allowing dry running in the morning. Both teams can now approach their final test day with greater flexibility, having already explored their cars across various conditions. The information gathered will feed directly into their preparations for pre-season testing in Bahrain, where official lap times and performance hierarchies will begin to emerge.
