Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur says the Scuderia’s mileage in the Barcelona shakedown is an “important milestone” as the team explores the SF-26.
Ferrari pipped Mercedes in Thursday’s lap charts as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed a total of 170 laps, with Mercedes on 168 after racking up the most miles of any team over its three days of running – a benchmark that won’t be beaten on Friday’s final day.
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But while most attention has gone to the near flawless debut of the Mercedes W17, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur believes his team can also be satisfied with the running it has completed already, with Ferrari also on track again on Friday.
“It was an interesting first day with slicks for us. We had day one in wet conditions, and [Thursday] was a very good session with something like 180 laps on the board, and this is important for the team, for their ability to accumulate mileage, to learn about the car,” the Ferrari boss explained. “It’s a huge challenge for everybody, and the more mileage you are doing, the more you are learning, and this is good.
“But still a lot to do, it’s still a long way, a long way before Melbourne and the season, but I think it was a first step, today was a very good one. It’s an important milestone to be able to run, to put mileage in. I think we can do more, but at one stage you have to stop to refuel!”
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Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc $ Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc $ Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari
Despite Barcelona being a shakedown, with real performance running to follow at Bahrain’s two tests in February, Vasseur says the all-new nature of the 2026 cars means it is even more important than usual to get in the laps.
“You have tons of topics to scan on the car, from aero, to mechanical, to engine; energy deployment is a big topic for everybody. It means that you have to scan every single parameter, and it’s taking time, and the best way to do it is to stay on track.
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“At the end of the day, we’ll have to keep in mind that performance at one stage will become crucial, but the target was to be able to accumulate mileage, and we did it.”
Leclerc added: “The checklist is still massive, so there are still many things we want to test and try differently, whether it’s some set-up on the car or some approaches that we have with this new system.
“In terms of performance, I have no idea where we are and it’s just a huge question mark. There’s nothing that tells me: ‘Okay, we are more or less here or here’.”
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Photos from Barcelona shakedownFranco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
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Ferrari motorhome
Ferrari motorhome
Ferrari
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
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Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Team Principal, Ben Waterhouse, Red Bull Racing Head of Performance Engineering
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Team Principal, Ben Waterhouse, Red Bull Racing Head of Performance Engineering
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Ferrari
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17
Mercedes AMG
Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac
Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac
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Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
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Cadillac F1 Team garage atmosphere
Cadillac F1 Team garage atmosphere
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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ferrari
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Haas F1 Team
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
Audi
Lando Norris, Mclaren
Lando Norris, Mclaren
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
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Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
McLaren
George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes
Mercedes AMG
Helmet of Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
Helmet of Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
Audi
Laura Mueller, Race Engineer Haas F1 Team
Laura Mueller, Race Engineer Haas F1 Team
Haas F1 Team
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17
Mercedes AMG
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
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Lando Norris, McLaren MCL40
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL40
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Ferrari
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
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Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team
Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team
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Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Team Principal
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Team Principal
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Oliver Bearman, Haas
Oliver Bearman, Haas
Haas F1 Team
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
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Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
TWJB Photography
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ferrari
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17
Mercedes AMG
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Audi R26 in the pitlane
Audi R26 in the pitlane
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Esteban Ocon, Haas
Esteban Ocon, Haas
Haas F1 Team
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
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Sergio Perez, Cadillac F1 Team
Sergio Perez, Cadillac F1 Team
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Haas F1 Team
George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes
Mercedes AMG
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ferrari
Mattia Binotto, Audi
Mattia Binotto, Audi
Audi
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Formula 1
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
McLaren
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
TWJB Photography
audif
audif
Audi
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ferrari
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Oliver Bearman, Haas
Oliver Bearman, Haas
Formula 1
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ferrari
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
Aston Martin Racing
Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
Formula 1
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
TWJB Photography
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Haas F1 Team
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ferrari
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Red Bull Content Pool
Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
Formula 1
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Red Bull Content Pool
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George Russell, Mercedes W17
George Russell, Mercedes W17
Mercedes AMG
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Haas F1 Team
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Mercedes AMG
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ferrari
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL40
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL40
McLaren
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
TWJB Photography
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Red Bull Content Pool
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Haas F1 Team
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