Hamilton tops final day of Barcelona F1 shakedown for Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest unofficial time on the final day of Formula 1's Barcelona shakedown, concluding a productive first week of 2026 pre-season running for Ferrari. His late-afternoon lap of 1m16.348s on soft tyres edged out teammate Charles Leclerc and McLaren's Lando Norris, capping a week where reliability and mileage were the primary goals for all teams.

Why it matters:

The shakedown, a series of unofficial tests, offers the first real-world glimpse of the new cars and driver pairings. While lap times are not definitive due to unknown fuel loads and run plans, consistent running without major issues is a critical early benchmark. Hamilton's seamless integration and pace at Ferrari, coupled with strong mileage from most teams, suggests a stable foundation has been laid before the official pre-season test in Bahrain.

The details:

• Ferrari's Strong Week: The Scuderia showed consistent form, with Leclerc setting the morning pace before Hamilton's afternoon flyer. Hamilton expressed positivity about his first proper experience in the SF-26, praising the team's winter work and the car's reliability over the three-day test.
• McLaren Recovers: After a disrupted Thursday, McLaren rebounded strongly. Lando Norris briefly held the top spot in the afternoon, while Oscar Piastri reported a "much smoother day" focused on understanding the car's characteristics in different configurations.
• Red Bull Returns: Max Verstappen completed a full day of trouble-free running for Red Bull, a welcome reset after Isack Hadjar's crash earlier in the week limited track time. Verstappen called it a "pretty decent" day and emphasized the importance of the mileage for their new power unit.
• Mileage Leaders: Alpine's Pierre Gasly completed a staggering 164 laps, the highest single-day count, as the team gathered crucial data on its new Mercedes power unit. Haas, Audi, and Aston Martin (with Fernando Alonso making his debut) also logged heavy lap counts.
• Notable Absence: Williams was the only team not to participate, choosing to wait until the official Bahrain test. Mercedes and Racing Bulls had concluded their allocated three days on Thursday.

What's next:

All attention now shifts to the official, and only, pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, beginning February 11. The data collected in Barcelona will inform final preparations and upgrades flown to Sakhir. The times in Spain hint at a tight field, but the true competitive picture will only start to develop under the more controlled and representative conditions of the Bahrain test, just weeks before the season opener.