Shakedown: Russell continued Mercedes’ strong form

In Barcelona, teams were allowed to run on any three of the five test days at their discretion, and for Mercedes, this fourth day marked their final outing.

As many expected, Mercedes’ opening tests proved successful in terms of both mileage and pace. The team carried out qualifying and race simulations during the day.

Some have already begun calling George Russell the 2026 champion, but we are not rushing to draw such conclusions. Mercedes’ strong form is undeniable, but it must be remembered that their rivals have not yet pushed for outright speed and are close in terms of mileage. In general, these are merely the first tests at the very start of what remains a highly uncertain season.

Red Bull skipped the day as well, waiting for spare parts to repair the car after Isack Hadjar’s crash on Tuesday, It plans to run on Friday. Haas also chose not to go out on track, opting to rebuild the car without haste after yesterday’s issues while investigating the causes.

Throughout the day, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Racing Bulls were active, with their drivers running in rotation and completing their programs. Many were eagerly awaiting Aston Martin’s long-anticipated first appearance. The team had already reduced its program to two days after failing to deliver the car to the test on time, but even today they were unable to complete a full day of running.

The debut of Adrian Newey’s new car was rather subdued, but if it proves quicker than the rest in Melbourne 37 days from now, no one will remember this.

With just one hour remaining in the session, Lance Stroll finally took to the track. The car looked quite unusual at first glance. Experts will analyse Newey’s latest work in the coming days, adding further intrigue. To make that task a little harder, the team released black-and-white images of an already black car.

However, the AMR26 abruptly stopped at Turn 10, raising serious concerns. Fernando Alonso will take over driving duties tomorrow. Incidentally, Newey himself was present — notebook in hand, as usual.

George Russell topped the timesheets and ended the day with the fastest lap of the week — 1:16.445. Tomorrow will mark the final day of the first test in Barcelona.