Piastri's Shaky Start in Barcelona as Mercedes Shines

Oscar Piastri's first run in McLaren's 2026 car was cut short by a fuel system issue, while Mercedes continued its dominant shakedown form with George Russell setting the fastest time of the week. The disrupted day saw Aston Martin's debut end in a red flag, contrasting with Ferrari's productive, high-mileage session.

Why it matters:

The final pre-season shakedown days are critical for teams to uncover reliability gremlins before official testing. McLaren's technical setback and Aston Martin's non-start are early warnings, while Mercedes' flawless, high-mileage running sets a formidable benchmark for its rivals as the new regulation era begins.

The details:

• McLaren's Short Day: Oscar Piastri managed only 48 laps in the MCL40 before a fuel system issue halted running. The team chose to investigate thoroughly in the garage rather than rush a fix, prioritizing understanding the complex new car.
• Mercedes' Mileage Mastery: George Russell (1:16.445s) and Kimi Antonelli combined for 168 laps in the W17, bringing Mercedes' three-day total to nearly 500 trouble-free laps. The team leaves Barcelona with high confidence for Bahrain testing.
• Aston Martin's False Start: Lance Stroll finally took the Adrian Newey-designed AMR26 out for its first laps but completed only four exploratory tours before stopping on track, causing the day's only red flag. The team offered no immediate explanation.
• Ferrari Finds Rhythm: After wet-weather running earlier in the week, Ferrari enjoyed a productive dry day. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc combined for over 170 laps in the SF-26, with Leclerc ending the day as Mercedes' closest challenger on pace.
• Other Team Notes: Racing Bulls completed its final shakedown day with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Alpine, Audi, Haas, and Red Bull (which is repairing crash damage) all sat out the day's running.

What's next:

Focus shifts to the final day of the Barcelona shakedown on Friday, where McLaren will urgently seek to recover lost mileage and Aston Martin will hope for a clean run with Fernando Alonso. All teams will then prepare for the more representative and crucial pre-season test in Bahrain next month, where true competitive pecking orders will begin to emerge.