The fourth day of Formula 1 testing gets underway at the Barcelona circuit. Follow our live coverage directly from the track, with Ferrari ready to rack up kilometres and the possible debut of Aston Martin – LIVE.
16:17 – Charles Leclerc sets a strong 1:18.450 on medium tires. It remains to be seen if Ferrari can close the gap to George Russell’s 1:16.928 on soft tires.
16:13 – Ferrari is back on track with Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver has fitted medium tires and is currently the only car running on track at this stage of the day.
16:06 – On track at the moment are only Racing Bulls and Mercedes. The Brackley team continues to rack up lap after lap, confirming themselves as the most consistent team seen so far in these tests.
16:00 – As the seventh hour of testing begins, Aston Martin’s track debut is approaching. According to various sources, the team should be out on track shortly.
15:46 – Mercedes’ British driver George Russell becomes the first to go under 1:17 during these test days.
15:45 – George Russell posts a time of 1:16.928 on soft tires, suggesting Mercedes is running a qualifying simulation today.
15:40 – Lance Stroll is expected to take the wheel of the Aston Martin from 16:00 onwards.
15:40 – Meanwhile, Mercedes is back on track.
15:35 – Fernando Alonso confirmed on the Jugones broadcast that Aston Martin should complete a few laps today.
15:31 – SoyMotor reports Charles Leclerc clocked a 1:19.128, placing him behind the two Mercedes cars.
15:26 – Sergio Perez makes a small mistake immediately after returning to track, locking up for a brief moment.
15:24 – Sergio Perez is back on track in the Cadillac. The Mexican driver has already completed 38 laps this morning and continues his program in the final two and a half hours of the session.
15:18 – Even though both Ferrari and Mercedes are on track, all eyes are on Aston Martin. The British team is expected to run during this session, revealing Adrian Newey’s first creation for the year.
15:09 – Weather update: the wind is picking up at the Barcelona circuit. Rain is not expected today, which is why several teams have decided to run.
15:00 – Ferrari has announced a new technical partner: BBS Japan, which will supply wheels for the Maranello team.
14:41 – According to our colleagues at SoyMotor.com, the top speed reached during these tests has been 325 km/h. This is only 5 km/h less than the maximum speed recorded in qualifying conditions, which could indicate that, with an optimal setup and the Power Units pushed to their limits, this figure may increase further.
14:25 – Flow-vis paint is visible on Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-26. The Monegasque driver is running on medium tyres and, for the moment, he is the only driver out on track.
14:20 – Engines fire up: Charles Leclerc heads out onto the circuit in the Ferrari.
14:12 – After ten minutes, there is still no activity on track. A calm start to the afternoon session in Barcelona.
14:02 – The Barcelona tests resume. Clouds are hanging over the circuit, but rain is not expected. Teams now have the opportunity to continue and complete their respective testing programmes.
1:12 PM – Here are the final lap times after four hours of testing.
PositionDriverLap time1stAntonelli1:17.0812ndHamilton1:18.6543rdPiastri1:18.8634thLawson1:19.3695thPerez1:22.508
1:00 PM – After the first four hours of on-track activity this morning, engines are switched off for the usual lunch break. The pit-lane light will turn green again at 2:00 PM local time, marking the start of the afternoon session, which will run until 6:00 PM.
12:38 – According to AutoRacer, Lance Stroll will make his debut with Aston Martin this afternoon.
12:23 – Track activity remains limited, with Sergio Perez leaving the pits and posting the temporary slowest lap of the session.
12:12 – Updated lap times after three hours of testing, as reported by SoyMotor:
PositionDriverLap Time1°Kimi Antonelli1:17.0812°Lewis Hamilton1:18.6543°Oscar Piastri1:18.8634°Liam Lawson1:19.3695°Sergio Perez1:22.508
Stay tuned as the session continues and the new-generation F1 cars gather valuable track mileage under the 2026 regulations.
11:26 – Aston Martin AMR26 in total black
As reported by Giuliano Duchessa on X, regarding Aston Martin: “The new AMR26 will run in a total black livery, as required by the regulations for teams that have not yet revealed their official design.”
11:20 – Lap time update
After more than two hours of testing, SoyMotor has compiled the following lap times:
PositionDriverLap TimeLap1°Kimi Antonelli1:17.913422°Liam Lawson1:19.768–3°Lewis Hamilton1:20.252414°Sergio Perez1:23.213–
11:11 – Mileage update
In terms of distance covered, Kimi Antonelli leads the mileage chart with 42 laps completed, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who has completed 41 laps so far.
10:48 AM – Almost two hours into the penultimate day of pre-season F1 testing in Barcelona, a quick summary shows that Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull Racing Bulls, Cadillac, and McLaren have all already taken to the track. Fans and media alike are eagerly awaiting the appearance of Aston Martin, which is scheduled to make its first laps of the day in the afternoon session.
10:40 AM – Mercedes continues with a long-run program, confirming its W17 as one of the most intriguing cars of the 2026 season. The team is maintaining a steady pace while gathering valuable data on tire performance, fuel usage, and overall car balance in preparation for the upcoming official test sessions. Early indications suggest that the car’s reliability and pace could make it a strong contender in the new era of Formula 1.
10:14 – Oscar Piastri has taken to the track, making his debut in the McLaren MCL40.
10:11 – Here is a brief update on the lap times recorded so far:
PositionDriverLap1Lewis Hamilton1’21″2252Kimi Antonelli1’22″1353Sergio Perez1’23″213
10:05 – Important update regarding Aston Martin’s debut: according to SoyMotor.com, the British team’s car will run at a “limited speed” for today’s session.
10:01 – Earlier reports about Red Bull have been denied. The Milton Keynes-based team will not participate in today’s session and plans to complete its testing programme tomorrow with Max Verstappen.
09:56 – Ferrari experiences its first minor incident of the day. Lewis Hamilton spun between turns 10 and 11 under acceleration. Fortunately, there was no damage to the Maranello team’s car.
09:48 – Aston Martin has not yet made its on-track debut. The British team is expected to run today with Lance Stroll, while Fernando Alonso should take to the track tomorrow.
09:32 – A brief summary of the laps completed by the power units so far:
593 laps for the Mercedes engine (Mercedes, McLaren, Alpine, Williams)
393 laps for the Red Bull-Ford power unit (Red Bull, Racing Bulls)
360 laps for the Ferrari engine (Ferrari, Cadillac, Haas)
95 laps for Audi
0 laps, unsurprisingly, for Honda (Aston Martin)
09:25 – Ferrari has begun its programme on the yellow-compound tyres. McLaren and Racing Bulls are also out on track.
09:21 – Ferrari is also heading out on track with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. At the moment the weather is fairly sunny, with all drivers running on slick tyres.
09:11 – Here is the first image directly from Barcelona. Mercedes has already started its daily programme with Kimi Antonelli on track.
09:05 – As reported by SoyMotor, Mercedes will be running today, bringing its three-day test programme to a conclusion. Red Bull will also take part in today’s session, alongside Cadillac and Ferrari.
09:00 – Green flag at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The penultimate day of Formula 1 testing for the 2026 season has officially begun.
08:57 – We are now just moments away from the start of the penultimate day of testing. Here is who is expected to take to the track today. Two names are certain: Ferrari and McLaren are the only teams that have run for just one day so far. We could also see Cadillac back on track, as they did not run yesterday. Red Bull’s participation remains uncertain following Hadjar’s heavy crash.
08:34 – Haas sends its usual good morning message and announces that they will not take part in today’s testing. The team will spend the day analysing the data gathered over the previous days, before returning to the track tomorrow for the final day of testing.
08:11 – According to reports on X, there is a strong chance we will see the biggest unknown of this season take to the track today: the Aston Martin AMR26. The British team’s engineers were able to work through the night to assemble the car, and Fernando Alonso will be at the wheel for the debut of the new machine.
07:50 – Let’s take a brief look back at the test days so far. Yesterday we were able to watch the debut of McLaren, with Lando Norris completing an impressive total of 62 laps. Mercedes also carried out an excellent programme, with both drivers covering around 180 laps in total, confirming the rumours circulating before the start of testing. Mercedes is one of the favourites for the championship and is clearly proving it over these days. Strong performance as well from Arvid Lindblad in the RB car, who, aside from minor issues not related to the power unit, completed 111 laps, confirming the solidity of the Red Bull-Ford engine.
07:45 – Good morning. The fourth day of Formula 1 testing in Barcelona is about to begin. Follow our live coverage with real-time updates. Ferrari will be back on track today after having run only one day so far, in weather conditions that were not entirely favourable. The Maranello-based team is expected to continue with its planned programme, likely focusing on long runs similar to those carried out by Mercedes yesterday.
Jan 29, 2026Luca Marini
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