Mercedes provided its rivals with another definitive reality check on Thursday in Barcelona, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli topping a session marked also by the belated – if brief – presence on track of Aston Martin’s AMR26.
Russell set the pace with a blistering 1m16.641s, lowering the benchmark set hours earlier by teammate Kimi Antonelli, who had already toppled Wednesday’s fastest lap with a 1m17.081s.
It was a flawless statement from the Silver Arrows, who completed a mammoth 168 laps on the day, leaving them comfortably atop the overall mileage chart as their Barcelona programme came to a close.
While Charles Leclerc put Ferrari in third with a 1m19.128s after taking over from Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon, Mercedes demonstrated that its W17 car’s balance, reliability, and pace remain unmatched during this early testing window.
Hamilton, despite a minor spin earlier in the day captured by social media footage, completed 85 laps, helping Ferrari and Leclerc amass a total of 170 laps for the session – a solid but ultimately secondary effort behind the relentless Silver Arrows.
Aston Martin’s Long-Awaited AMR26 Hits the Track
Thursday also delivered one of the most anticipated moments of the pre-season: the first on-track appearance of Aston Martin’s 2026 contender, the AMR26.
After a delayed start to their Barcelona programme – for reasons known only to the Silverstone squad –Aston rolled out Adrian Newey’s first design for the team, flying the car in overnight and preparing it all day for its track debut..
Sporting an all-black livery, the AMR26 hit the asphalt with Lance Stroll at the wheel, but the Canadian only managed a handful of laps, with the car stopping on track in the closing minutes of the session, triggering a red flag.
Stroll managed a single timed lap at 1m46.404s, leaving Aston Martin at the foot of the timesheets, but the significance of seeing the AMR26 in action was impossible to ignore.
Mixed Fortunes for the Rest of the Field
Elsewhere, McLaren’s Thursday running was cut short by a fuel systems issue, preventing Oscar Piastri from getting meaningful mileage in the MCL40.
Red Bull remained absent as the team awaited spare parts following Isack Hadjar’s heavy crash on Tuesday, while Haas also skipped the day after encountering mechanical issues on Wednesday.
Alpine and Audi opted to save their final day of running for Friday, and Williams missed the entire Barcelona test due to delays building the FW48.
For Mercedes, it was the perfect ending to a three-day Barcelona shakedown: pace, reliability, and mileage all in one package.
Aston Martin’s presence was short-lived but finally seeing the AMR26 on track marks a milestone for the team and hints at what’s to come.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1m16.445 | 78 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1m17.081 | 90 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1m18.223 | 83 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1m18.419 | 48 |
| 5 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1m18.451 | 47 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1m18.654 | 87 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1m18.840 | 64 |
| 8 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1m21.024 | 66 |
| 9 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1m46.404 | 4 |
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