Charles Leclerc gave a positive first review of Ferrari's 2026 SF-26 after a wet shakedown in Barcelona, focusing on system checks. He believes the new regulations are a major opportunity for the team to challenge for championships again after years of falling short.
Ferrari's SF-26 completed a dream 120-lap first day of testing without issues, but the team faces a race against time to work through a lengthy checklist of car understanding and setup tasks before the season opener in Bahrain.
George Russell topped the timesheets for Mercedes on the third morning of F1 testing in Barcelona, setting a new benchmark while completing nearly 100 laps. The session highlighted Mercedes' strong reliability but was marred by stoppages for Audi and Haas.
Karun Chandhok questions Ferrari's delay in appointing a permanent race engineer for Lewis Hamilton, noting the critical driver-engineer partnership is not being built during crucial winter testing, potentially hampering the seven-time champion's second season with the team.
Christian Horner met FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Paris, while Alpine confirmed the former Red Bull boss is part of an investor group interested in buying into the team, highlighting his potential return to F1 in a new role.
Lando Norris debuted the McLaren MCL40 with the number 1 during Barcelona testing, while Audi faced more reliability issues with Nico Hulkenberg stopping on track.
McLaren finally took its new MCL40 onto the Barcelona track on day three of testing, with Lando Norris completing the car’s first laps. The run, delayed by rain and a planned day‑one skip, provides vital data ahead of the February launch and the 2026 season start.
Ferrari displayed a wet active‑aero set‑up at Barcelona, with only the front wing movable and the rear wing locked. Lewis Hamilton tried it, showing how FIA may regulate active aero in rain.
George Russell posted the fastest time (1:17.580) and completed the most laps in Barcelona’s dry third‑day practice, giving Mercedes a confidence boost. McLaren debuted the MCL40, while Audi and Haas dealt with red‑flag setbacks.
As the 2026 season approaches, the 2027 driver market is taking shape. While McLaren and Cadillac have secured their lineups, top teams like Ferrari and Mercedes still hold crucial question marks regarding their futures.
Nico Hulkenberg brought out the red flag for Audi on day three in Barcelona due to a suspected hydraulic problem, marking another reliability setback for the new team.
Red Bull will not run on Wednesday in Barcelona following a crash by reserve driver Isack Hadjar. The team is assessing the RB22 after the incident at Turn 14, leaving them with one less day of testing before the Bahrain session next month.
