F1 testing: Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen take to the wet track in Barcelona, while McLaren remains missing.
Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, along with four-time world champion Max Verstappen, made their 2026 preseason debuts during a quieter second day of testing.
The private F1 test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya continued on Tuesday, part of a week where teams are permitted to run for a maximum of three out of the five available days.
After seven teams took to the track on Monday, only Ferrari and Verstappen’s Red Bull team chose to participate on Tuesday, as forecasts of adverse weather deterred the others from doing so.
Reigning world champions McLaren did not take to the track, but they are still expected to utilize their full testing allocation if they make their appearance on Wednesday.
Leclerc shared the track with Verstappen during a calm morning session, after which they handed over to their teammates, Hamilton and Isack Hadjar, respectively, in the afternoon.
As has been the case throughout the week, public information was limited during the closed event, but images surfaced showing both Ferrari and Red Bull on track with intermediate wet tyres fitted to their cars, reflecting the conditions for much of the day.
ESPN has learned that Verstappen briefly caused a red flag when he went off track during the morning session; however, his car sustained no damage, and it did not seem to disrupt the team’s plans for the day.
While this marked Red Bull’s second consecutive day of testing, it was the first appearance of the Ferrari SF-26 this week, having made a brief public outing last Friday at the team’s Fiorano circuit.
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Leclerc maintained the early optimism surrounding the launch of the team’s new car.
After completing his stint, Leclerc spoke to F1 TV, stating: “I’m very excited. I’m very eager to see what the others have planned and when we start pushing a bit harder, to assess where we stand compared to the others.
“I believe this year presents a significant opportunity for every team to approach things differently and potentially gain a larger advantage than we’ve observed in recent years.
“I hope we are the team that can make the difference. Regardless of where we begin, we will strive to the fullest to bring Ferrari back to the top. It’s been quite a few years, so I hope this one is ours.”
Mercedes was among the teams that chose not to run on Tuesday, but the German manufacturer has emerged as an early favorite ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
Source: espn.com
