Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap of the Barcelona test session as Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all clocked 100 laps on the Spanish F1 team’s long final day.

As a week of behind-closed-door racing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya draws to a close, eight teams are expected to compete in Friday’s final.

Ferrari, Red Bull and world champion McLaren were joined by Aston Martin, whose first Adrian Newey-designed car completed its first day on track with Fernando Alonso at the wheel, and also joined by Haas, Audi, Alpine and Cadillac.

Mercedes – the team that has completed the most laps this week (500) – and Racing Bulls have reached their respective three-day testing allotments on Thursday. Teams can test on any three of the five days of testing.

The fastest lap of the week has yet to be officially announced as testing is closed, but it is understood Hamilton took the win with a test-best time of 1:16.348 on Friday afternoon in a Ferrari SF-26.

That was a tenth faster than the 1:16.445 set by Mercedes driver George Russell on Thursday.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was second fastest after setting a time of 1:16.594 earlier on Friday afternoon, with Charles Leclerc third at 1:16.653 in the morning in the new Ferrari. Friday’s three fastest times are believed to have been set on the C3 soft tyre.

Max Verstappen completed 118 laps to finish fifth as Red Bull returned to the track three days after Isack Hadjar’s wet crash.

‘No illusions…but we can start from here’ – Hamilton positive on Ferrari’s start

Lap times in pre-season testing are notoriously unreliable indicators of a car’s performance.

This is particularly likely to be the case during the “tweak” week, when teams’ attention is almost entirely focused on testing the reliability and systems of their new cars under F1’s 2026 rules.

Teams also often use different tires and fuel loads, as well as car and engine setups in testing, making accurate comparisons across the grid fraught with difficulties.

but ferrari The strong early reliability shown by their new car and engine will certainly be encouraging after the sport’s biggest ever rule change requires the design team to overhaul the chassis and powerplant for the new campaign starting in March.

After the cars completed nearly 300 laps in the first two days on the track, Leclerc and Hamilton added 145 laps to the team’s tally on Friday, bringing Ferrari’s total for the week to an impressive 440 laps.

Describing it as a “really good week”, Hamilton added: “Everyone is positive and very enthusiastic but we are under no illusions. We know we still have work to do.”

“Mercedes have had some great results as well. Red Bull and Haas have had some great results as well. We don’t know where we are but I think it’s been a solid first week and we can really start from here.

“There may be some big leaps that need to be made and development will be key.

“We want to make sure we leave no stone unturned and that our communications and the decisions we make are clear and concise.

“It requires all of us to be at our best and I’m seeing a new energy from everyone this year, which is great.”

McLaren and Red Bull make up for lost track time

Defending double world champion McLarenNorris and Oscar Piastri will also be encouraged by their mileage on Friday after 166 laps between them.

A fuel system issue limited Piastri’s ride on the MCL40 on Thursday.

McLaren, who did not start testing until Wednesday, described their week as “very productive”, although they “still recognize there is a lot to review”.

Norris, who completed 86 laps in the afternoon, said: “It’s easy to get caught up in comparisons. We’re all very competitive, so you always want to see yourself perform well and feel like you can go faster.”

“We know a lot about the low-gas and high-gas stuff, the tires – what we’re here for – understanding the car, especially from a reliability perspective, making sure all the sensors, PUs, transmissions, everything is working properly. Reliability is one of the most important things, so a lot of that comes from that.

“There’s a lot the team will be looking at over the next few days and weeks to try to improve and do better.

“From my perspective, it’s just about getting back to feeling comfortable with the car. Something needs to change. It still feels like a race car, it still feels fast, it’s still enjoyable.”

red bullHajjar, meanwhile, had to wait for spare parts to be flown back to the track after an accident in wet conditions three days ago that damaged the rear of his R22.

Verstappen drove the RB22 all day and completed 100 laps, setting the fifth fastest time behind Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc and Piastri.

Verstappen said he had been feeling unwell, telling F1 At the end of the day: “I did a lot of laps. We learned a lot. There are still a lot of things we want to study and do better, but I guess that’s normal.

“Overall, it’s very good for us with the new engine to do laps like this and it’s a good start for us. A positive, but it’s still early days.”

Aston Martin begins testing first Newey Honda car in earnest

Lance Stroll briefly emerged from the garage and ran four laps in the final hour of Thursday’s race. Aston Martin The preseason finally started in earnest on the fifth day of this week.

Alonso drove the coveted Newey-designed car for the first time ahead of his 23rd F1 season in the AMR26, completing 61 laps. With his fastest time of 1:20.795, the focus is on mileage and reliability checks, with the team and new engine supplier Honda playing catch-up.

“I’m really excited to be back in the car after the winter. It’s really the first day for us,” Alonso said.

“I think we got a positive result. Sixty-plus laps and the car responded well. Day one and more to come.”

alps Pierre Gasly capped off a fruitful week in their first Mercedes-powered car on Friday with a top lap time of 164.

Haas (Oliver Bearman ran 104 laps) and new look Audi The team (148 laps between Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg) also had centuries to go after suffering a reliability failure earlier in the week.

new Cadillac Valtteri Bottas completed his first week alongside a rival team, completing 54 laps.

williams are the only team not taking part in this week’s race but say their 2026 cars will be ready for the first Bahrain test in two weeks’ time.

When does the F1 Bahrain pre-season test take place?

The introduction of the new regulations means there will be a full schedule of three separate testing events before the start of the 2026 season.

With the Barcelona race over, F1 will next head to Bahrain for two “official” pre-season tests, where the media will be present and on-track timing will be provided.

The two three-day Tests in Bahrain are held from February 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 respectively.

When was the first F1 race?

Teams then have two weeks to prepare for the first round of the season, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6-8.

The first practice session of the season will be held on Friday 6 March, qualifying will be held on Saturday 7 March and the opening race will be held on Sunday 8 March.

Stream every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8. Watch Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel anytime