Aston Martin completes initial laps during Barcelona testing session.
Aston Martin made its initial appearance at this week’s preseason test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, completing a few laps during the last hour of the penultimate day.
The team had previously announced that it would not arrive in time to utilize its full three-day allocation and instead planned to take to the track on the final two days.
The AMR26, designed by Adrian Newey, reached the circuit on Wednesday evening and finally took to the track for four shakedown laps towards the end of Thursday’s session.
Lance Stroll was behind the wheel of the new Aston Martin, which still showcases bare carbonfibre bodywork ahead of the team’s season launch event in Saudi Arabia on February 9.
The AMR26 is Aston Martin’s first Formula 1 car developed with contributions from Newey, who departed Red Bull in 2024 to join Aston Martin as managing technical partner in April 2025 before assuming the role of team principal over the winter.
This car also signifies the beginning of a new collaboration between Aston Martin and Japanese engine supplier Honda.
Despite Aston Martin’s late arrival resulting in a loss of nearly two days of track time compared to most of its competitors, it will enable the team to conduct basic checks ahead of two additional preseason tests at the Bahrain International Circuit in February.
In sharp contrast to Aston Martin’s difficulties in getting its car on track, Mercedes concluded its third and final day of testing on Thursday with another impressive lap count and a new fastest lap time.
Mercedes teammates George Russell and Kimi Antonelli collectively completed 168 laps, bringing the team’s total to 502 over its three days of testing.
Sources confirmed to ESPN that Russell achieved a fastest lap of 1:16.445, which was 0.636 seconds quicker than Antonelli’s morning benchmark and 1.778 seconds faster than Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, which was third fastest overall.
At this stage of testing, lap times hold little significance due to varying circuit conditions, team run plans, and different states of car development, but the strong performance reinforces Mercedes’ status as favorites ahead of the new season.
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Antonelli also noted that Mercedes’ test had gone so well that the team had already completed a race simulation, a task typically reserved for the final days of preseason and closer to the first grand prix.
“I did a lot of laps and was able to do a race sim, which was nice, and the most important thing is that we did a lot of laps, a lot of mileage, and gathered a lot of data for the team,” Antonelli stated. “It was a good day overall.
“This car is entirely new and represents a significant advancement compared to last year’s model. So whenever you get into the car, you gain a bit more confidence, and throughout the stint, you learn more about the car, understanding its limitations and where you can push a bit more. It’s a continuous learning process every time you go on track.”
Ferrari’s driver pairing led the lap count on Thursday with 172 laps between them, as Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a completely dry day of testing following a wet start to their week on Tuesday and a decision not to run on Wednesday.
“When you come to the test, you always want to accumulate a lot of mileage; today I did 85 laps in the morning, which is fantastic,” Hamilton remarked.
“And that’s really thanks to all the people at the factory who’ve done an excellent job to ensure the car is reliable so far. Last year, we had a more challenging start to testing.
“So this is actually, considering it’s a completely new set of regulations, better than we’ve experienced in the past. I’m really hopeful that this trend continues.”
Also on track were Racing Bulls, dividing their final day between Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson; Cadillac, with Sergio Pérez driving; and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for the first time.
Piastri completed only 48 laps in the morning session before the team identified a fuel system issue that prevented McLaren from participating in the afternoon session.
“We had a fuel system issue, which cut our day short, but the team’s working hard to resolve it and get back out tomorrow,” Piastri explained. “These cars are completely different from what we’ve had in recent years. That’s part of what this test is about.
“We’ve already pinpointed a few areas we can work on to enhance the car’s feel. We have one more day of running tomorrow. We’ll continue to acclimate to the car and gain a good understanding of how different elements feel. Then we’ll determine a solid direction to improve the car’s speed and comfort.”
Friday marks the final day of this week’s five-day test, likely to be one of the busiest. Mercedes and Racing Bulls have already maximized their three full days of running, while Ferrari, McLaren, Audi, Haas, Cadillac, Alpine, Red Bull, and Aston Martin still have track time remaining.
Red Bull’s preparedness for the final day remains uncertain, however, after Isack Hadjar crashed the new RB22 in wet conditions on Tuesday, and it was unclear if spare parts would arrive at the track in time for repairs. Max Verstappen is anticipated to drive the car if it can be repaired in time.
Due to delays in the production of its car, Williams decided late last week not to attend this week’s test to ensure full readiness for the two upcoming tests in Bahrain.
Source: espn.com
