Mercedes dominated F1 Barcelona testing Day 3 with both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell clocking the fastest times as Lando Norris impressed on McLaren MCL40 track debut.
The session unfolded under clearer skies compared to the rain-interrupted previous days, allowing six Formula 1 teams—Mercedes, McLaren, Alpine, Haas, Racing Bulls, and Audi—to maximize track time.
Notably absent were Ferrari, Red Bull, Williams, Aston Martin, and Cadillac, who either exhausted their allocated shakedown days or opted for strategic rest ahead of Bahrain’s official test.
Testing commenced at the usual morning hour, with drivers focusing primarily on systems checks, long-run simulations, and baseline aerodynamic data collection rather than outright qualifying simulations, given the behind-closed-doors nature of the shakedown without official live timing.
George Russell kicked off Mercedes’ program strongly in the morning, racking up 92 laps—an impressive distance exceeding one-and-a-half race lengths around the 4.657-kilometer track—and established an early benchmark with his 1:17.580, highlighting the W17’s reliability and pace.
As the afternoon progressed, Kimi Antonelli seamlessly took over the Mercedes W17, adding another 91 laps to the team’s daily tally of 183, pushing their weekly total to 334 laps and over 850 kilometers of vital running.
Antonelli’s benchmark lap, the quickest of the entire shakedown so far, came late in the session on what appeared to be a soft compound tire run, dipping into the 1:17 bracket that no other team breached, affirming the team’s status as early frontrunners in the new era.
McLaren‘s Day 3 entry injected fresh excitement as Lando Norris drove the all-black, test-liveried MCL40 out of the pits just before the third hour, donning the prestigious number one for the first time.
McLaren MCL40 track debut was trouble-free as the reigning champion completed 76 laps that equated to a full grand prix distance, with his best effort placing him third overall, 0.945s off Antonelli’s pace.
Norris focused on correlation runs between wind tunnel predictions and on-track behavior, particularly the MCL40’s active aero elements adapting to Barcelona’s high-speed sweeps like the long Turn 3 right-hander and the technical sector three.
Team insiders reported satisfaction with the car’s balance, noting its competitive long-run pace that bodes well for McLaren’s title defense, especially after their constructors’ dominance in the latter 2025 stages.
Alpine, meanwhile, contributed steadily to the timesheets with a split program between Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly who together amassed 125 laps in the A526.
Colapinto handled morning duties, logging 58 laps and a fourth-quickest time, roughly 1.788s behind the leader, while Gasly took the reins post-lunch and added 67 laps but was marginally slower as the French squad prioritized endurance testing with their new Mercedes power unit layout.
The Enstone-based team’s session was uninterrupted, providing valuable insights into thermal management under Barcelona’s mild winter conditions, where track temperatures hovered around 25 degrees Celsius.
Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad racked the most laps during F1 Barcelona testing Day 3 after circling the circuit 120 times which ultimately slotted the new VCARB 03 in seventh, 2.058s off the benchmark.
Challenges punctuated the day for Haas and Audi, underscoring the teething issues inherent in new car shakedowns.
Oliver Bearman in the new Haas VF-26 endured two gremlins: a minor morning hiccup followed by a more severe afternoon issue that triggered a red flag and curtailed his running to just 42 laps, his best time placing sixth.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg faced similar woes in the morning as the newcomer F1 machine stalled after only four laps, limiting him to 68 laps with the day’s slowest time.
READ MORE:
Isack Hadjar crashes new Red Bull on Day 2 of F1 Barcelona testing
Several teams skip F1 Barcelona testing Day 2, Max Verstappen triggers red flag
