Photo: Race Pictures

Hamilton pips Russell late on to secure fastest lap of Barcelona testing

19:30, 30 Jan

Updated: 20:05, 30 Jan

byTobia Elia

Let’s take a look at the combined classification of the fastest lap times across all five days of testing in Barcelona.

Hamilton stole the spotlight in the first of the three test sessions scheduled ahead of the 2026 season, setting the benchmark time across the entire five-day Barcelona test with an unofficial 1:16.348.

While Mercedes no longer topped the outright pace charts thanks to Hamilton’s late effort, the Brackley-based team still stood out over a single lap, proving highly competitive with both drivers — as far as lap times can be considered meaningful at this stage of the season.

Behind Hamilton came George Russell, whose reported 1:16.445 on soft tyres, set on day four, had long stood as the reference. Third on the combined timesheet was the reigning world champion Lando Norris, who posted a 1:16.594 on the final day, also on softs.

Photo: Race Pictures

Charles Leclerc slipped to fourth in this special classification, having stopped the clocks at 1:16.653 during the final morning session after pushing his SF-26 close to the limit.

Below is the unofficial classification of the fastest lap times across the five days of Barcelona testing.

Pos	Driver	Team	Lap Time
1	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:16.348
2	George Russell	Mercedes	1:16.445
3	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:16.594
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:16.653
5	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:17.081
6	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:17.446
7	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:17.586
8	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:17.707
9	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	1:18.159
10	Esteban Ocon	Haas	1:18.393
11	Oliver Bearman	Haas	1:18.423
12	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:18.451
13	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:18.840
14	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:19.150
15	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:19.870
16	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:20.179
17	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:20.795
18	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	1:20.920
19	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	1:21.024
20	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:46.404

Mercedes and Ferrari stand out for mileage across Barcelona testing

Barcelona’s five-day pre-season test has now concluded, offering limited insight into outright pace but delivering a clear picture when it came to mileage and reliability. Overall, the running suggested that the new 2026 machinery is already in a solid state, with few major issues emerging across the week.

Mercedes led the way in terms of total laps completed, amassing 500 laps over the five days. Ferrari ranked second on the mileage charts with 437 laps, while Haas also stood out for its consistency, completing 391 laps during the test.

For a full overview of the number of laps covered by each team and power unit, read the complete breakdown here.

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