Mercedes continued to underline their status as early favourites under Formula 1’s sweeping 2026 technical regulations on the third day of the Barcelona shakedown, as Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of the private test so far and reigning world champion Lando Norris finally took McLaren’s new MCL40 onto the circuit for the first time.
Six teams ran on Wednesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Mercedes completing the most extensive programme of the day. The Brackley squad is understood to have logged 183 laps across its two drivers, pushing its total mileage well beyond the 300-lap mark after three days of running.
See Also…
-
F1 2026 testing: Everything we learned from Day 1 in Barcelona
-
F1 2026 testing: Everything we learned from Day 2 in Barcelona
Although official timings are not being released from the behind-closed-doors test, it emerged that Antonelli topped the timesheet during the afternoon session with a 1:17.362 in the W17. That time eclipsed the benchmark set earlier in the day by team-mate George Russell, who had lowered Isack Hadjar’s opening-day reference with a 1:17.580 in cold morning conditions.
Russell later cautioned against reading too much into lap times at this stage, explaining:
“The track temperature was in the low single-digits this morning, one of the coldest circuits I’ve ever driven on, so there’s little-to-nothing you can read into the times.”
As has been stressed throughout the paddock, outright pace remains secondary during this shakedown week, with teams prioritising reliability checks, system validation and familiarisation with what has been described as the biggest technical overhaul in F1 history.
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said the team’s early objectives had largely been met:
“We are pleased with the mileage we achieved today and have ticked off most of the objectives we set ourselves for the first two days of running here in Barcelona.
“The car has been reliable, and we’ve been able to put together multiple race distances today. That is encouraging as an initial step, and I know both drivers will be feeling the number of laps they put in today!
“The drivers have commented favourably on the feeling these smaller, lighter cars give them compared to the previous generation. However, they will only be truly happy once we see the relative performance compared to our competitors and that is something we won’t see until Bahrain at the earliest.”
Norris takes first laps as McLaren begin title defence
While Mercedes extended their strong start, much of the day’s attention was focused on McLaren, who began their on-track preparations later than most after sitting out the first two days of the shakedown. Tuesday’s running had also been disrupted by rain, with only Red Bull and Ferrari managing track time.
Norris took over driving duties shortly before the start of the third hour and completed the MCL40’s first laps, ending the day with 74–76 laps completed and a best time believed to be a 1:18.307, placing him third overall.
For the first time in his career, Norris ran the reigning champion’s No 1 on his car — a moment he admitted still felt surreal:
“It was just nice to be back here, nice to see the number one on my car. Pretty cool, pretty surreal still, so good feelings.
“Our first day on track, the first time that everyone gets to see the car in one piece. It’s literally not been built until this morning, so it’s an incredible thing. Nice to see it all come together, nice to see all the hard work that everyone does. And then I get to go and have some fun and drive it, which turned out to be a decent day.
“Today was really just a first understanding of the whole car, understanding just how it works, going through the manual of everything. A productive day, but it’s one that’s really about just figuring stuff out, making sure things are working as they should, understanding things, getting our first picture on all of it.”
McLaren’s mileage was considered encouraging given the late start, with the team running a test livery and focusing on baseline data rather than performance.
Mixed fortunes across the field
Alpine split its programme between Franco Colapinto in the morning and Pierre Gasly in the afternoon, with the pair combining for over 100 laps in what was viewed as a solid if unspectacular day. Both drivers finished inside the overall top five.
Haas, meanwhile, encountered reliability problems after a strong opening day earlier in the week. Oliver Bearman’s morning run was interrupted when he stopped on track, triggering red flags. Although he was able to resume and log 42 laps, a later and more serious issue ultimately curtailed the VF-26’s running.
Audi also caused an early stoppage due to what was described as a “real basic” hydraulic leak. Nico Hulkenberg did return to action after repairs, however, and completed around 68–70 laps — a marked improvement after its limited running earlier in the test.
Racing Bulls enjoyed one of the more productive days in terms of mileage. British rookie Arvid Lindblad completed over 100 laps as the team continued to familiarise itself with the new Red Bull power unit. The senior Red Bull team did not run on Wednesday following its appearance on the opening two days, the second of which ended with significant damage after Hadjar crashed in wet conditions.
Ferrari also remained sidelined after running on Tuesday.
Aston Martin is still yet to take to the track but is expected to do so on Thursday. The team’s first Adrian Newey-designed car is understood to have arrived in Spain ahead of a possible debut, while Williams is not participating in the Barcelona shakedown.
Teams are permitted to run on three of the five scheduled days this week, with Mercedes still holding the option to return on either Thursday or Friday.
F1 2026 Pre-Season testing: Unofficial lap times from Day 3 in Barcelona
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1m17.362s | 91 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.218s | 92 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.945s | 76 |
| 4 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.788s | 58 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.935s | 67 |
| 6 | Ollie Bearman | Haas | +1.952s | 42 |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +2.058s | 120 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +3.648s | 68 |
Seen in:
