Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

2026 F1 Barcelona Pre-Season Test - Day 3 Morning Results.
George Russell held the fastest lap time halfway through the third day of running in Barcelona, setting a 1:17.580.
28 Jan 2026
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

George Russell held the fastest lap time… Perhaps even more impressive, however, is the Briton's lap count as he clocked up 92 tours of the circuit.

It was a difficult morning for Nico Hulkenberg and Audi as another mechanical issue forced the German driver to pull over after just four laps. Lando Norris and McLaren made their first appearance of the test week, with the reigning champion sitting in third place.

2026 F1 Barcelona Pre-Season Test - Day 3 Morning Results
Pos. Driver Team Lap time Laps
1. George Russell Mercedes 1:17.580 92
2. Franco Colapinto Alpine +1.570 56
3. Lando Norris McLaren +2.092 34
4. Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +3.314 61
5. Oliver Bearman Haas +3.260 21
6. Nico Hulkenberg Audi No time 4

‘George Russell fastest’;

https://racingnews365.com/2026-f1-ba...orning-results


Russell delivers standout display as Mercedes turn heads in Barcelona
28 Jan 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

George Russell topped the timesheets during the morning of day three in Barcelona and also completed the highest number of laps. Clearer conditions greeted the start of day three after a rain-soaked morning previously disrupted running, finally allowing teams to head back out on track in dry weather.

After only Red Bull and Ferrari took part yesterday, the field expanded significantly today, with several teams joining the action — most notably McLaren, which made its long-awaited on-track debut with the MCL40, driven by Lando Norris.

The session was not without interruptions, however, as two red flags halted running. Audi suffered another problem when Nico Hulkenberg was forced to stop his RS26 on circuit, while Oliver Bearman also came to a standstill at Turn 2, with the cause of his stoppage still unclear.

‘Standout display’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/russe...s-in-barcelona


Russell sets fastest lap of Barcelona F1 test so far
Jan 28, 2026
Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Mercedes driver George Russell’s 1m17.580s eclipsed the Monday benchmark by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar by 0.6s as Mercedes began another extremely productive day on-track. After racking up nearly 100 laps in just half a day on Monday, when he took over from team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the morning, Russell is understood to have come close to 100 laps again on Wednesday.

This was achieved through various long runs and was significantly more than anybody else before lunch. Antonelli will be back in the W17 for the second half of Wednesday’s running. Russell’s best time was 1.6s quicker than Franco Colapinto managed in the Mercedes-powered Alpine in the first half of the day.

Laptimes midway through Day 3
1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m17.580s
2 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1m19.150s
3 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m19.672s
4 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1m20.714s
5 Ollie Bearman (Haas) 1m20.840s
6 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) No time

‘Close to 100 laps again’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...elona-f1-test/


McLaren hit the track as Norris rolls out long-awaited MCL40 in Barcelona
13:59, 28 Jan
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

McLaren MCL40 finally made its official on-track debut on the third day of testing in Barcelona. The reigning world champions had already planned to skip the opening day and were then forced to sit out day two due to rain, with Lando Norris finally getting his first taste of the new car.

The Briton ran throughout the morning, and it remained unclear whether he would hand over to teammate Oscar Piastri later in the day or stay in the car for the full session. The MCL40 is running a special full-black livery for the Barcelona tests, with the final design set to be unveiled at a dedicated launch event on 9 February.

‘McLaren hit the track’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/mclar...0-in-barcelona


Several ‘insiders’ are ‘suspicious’ about what they’ve noticed on Ferrari’s 2026 car at F1 testing
28 January 2026
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari raises ‘suspicions’ that they have an S-Duct on their 2026 F1 car. A number of paddock ‘insiders’ are understood to be questioning whether Ferrari have tried to incorporate an S-Duct into the design of their first car for the 2026 F1 regulations. F1 has overhauled the regulations, with new engine, aero, chassis and tyre rules coming into force.

Images of the Ferrari SF-26 on track in Barcelona have sparked ‘suspicions’ that their head of aerodynamics Diego Tondi has added a channel to direct clean air from below the radiator inlets to the top of the sidepods. The channel can also extract hot air away from the engine.

The main purpose with the S-Duct is to accelerate the airflow towards the rear diffuser and improve Ferrari’s aerodynamic efficiency. Tondi and his team are said to have achieved their goal by adding a slot in the Halo on the SF-26 to firstly manage the airflow out of the S-Duct.

‘The S-Duct’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/sev...at-f1-testing/


Leclerc’s All-New Ferrari SF-26 Has Him Eyeing 2026 Title
28 January 2026
Jack Banneron
F1Chronicle

Charles Leclerc climbed out of Ferrari’s SF-26 sounding like a guy who’s finally been handed a clean sheet of paper. Leclerc is “very excited” for 2026, and he’s openly talking about dragging Ferrari back to the top. After years where Ferrari’s promise has often arrived with an asterisk, this reset feels like the kind you can actually build a title run on, and that’s why everyone’s leaning in.

Ferrari skipped Day 1 of the five-day Barcelona event and rolled out on Day 2, right on schedule, with Leclerc first to hit the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. If you’ve ever shown up late to something stressful to avoid the opening chaos, you get the vibe, and Ferrari essentially admitted as much by choosing their moment. Leclerc described getting back in the car as returning to something “very, very all-new,” and he wasn’t doing PR poetry.

2026 brings a double reset, new chassis philosophy and new power unit rules, so even the basic instincts drivers rely on, braking references, corner commitment, energy deployment habits, get a hard reboot. He also pointed out the conditions were messy, with rain in the morning, which makes those first laps feel like trying new shoes on an ice rink. Still, Ferrari ran their programme anyway, because this stage is about whether the thing works, not whether it’s fast, and anyone who’s watched a new-spec car cough through its first week knows how valuable that sentence is.

‘Eyeing 2026 Title’;

https://f1chronicle.com/leclercs-all.../?nowprocket=1

[Fortitude]

F1 results: Unofficial testing times from Day 3 (Barcelona).
Mercedes, Haas, Audi, Racing Bulls, and Alpine all took part on Wednesday, with short red flag stoppages brought about due to technical issues for Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg – its second red flag of the Barcelona test – and Haas’ Oliver Bearman.
28 Jan 2026
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

The day ended with the W17 on top as Kimi Antonelli logged an unofficial 1:17.362 to finish just over two-tenths of a second clear of George Russell, with the Italian taking over for the afternoon session as Mercedes split its drivers’ time. In total, Mercedes completed 183 laps on Wednesday, accumulating just over 850km of track time, bringing it to a total of 334 laps for the week.

Behind Mercedes, Lando Norris’ first appearance in F1 2026 saw the new world champion resplendent in an all-black MCL40 adorned with a payaya number one on the new machine, and he duly set about accumulating a little over a race distance over the course of the day. Alpine also split its running between Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, with the Argentine driver finishing fourth on the timing sheets with 58 laps complete, and Pierre Gasly managing 67 laps in the new A526.

With no official live timing available to media and journalists, times and lap counts have been collated and vetted across multiple sources; however, these times are completely unofficial.
Testing results from Day 3 (Barcelona)
1. 1. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:17.362 91 Laps
2. 2. George Russell Mercedes +0.218 92 laps
3. 3. Lando Norris McLaren +0.945 76 laps
4. 4. Franco Colapinto Alpine +1.788 58 Laps
5. 5. Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.835 67 Laps
6. 6. Oliver Bearman Haas +1.948 42 Laps
7. 7. Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +2.058 120 Laps
8. 8. Nico Hulkenberg Audi +3.648 68 Laps

‘Unofficial testing times’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-res...arcelona-day-3


DEBRIEF: What happened on Day 3 of the Barcelona Shakedown?
28 Jan 2026
Formula One - Official Site

It was a busy start when Wednesday’s morning session began, with George Russell the first to head out in the Mercedes – returning to action following his running on Monday – while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindbald was next, the rookie getting his debut mileage of the Barcelona Shakedown. Franco Colapinto joined the fray for Alpine, along with Ollie Bearman in the Haas and Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel of the Audi, the latter two drivers also making their first appearance at the event.

McLaren, meanwhile, initially spent time carrying out their final preparations in the garage before new World Champion Lando Norris emerged in the middle of the morning, sporting the #1 on his car. After plenty of laps went on the board in the opening portion of the day – with Russell, Lindblad and Colapinto getting some particularly extensive mileage in – the action continued following a lunch break. Kimi Antonelli took over at the Silver Arrows, while Pierre Gasly gained his first laps of the shakedown for Alpine.

The afternoon session continued to be busy as a number of cars lapped the circuit in increasingly sunny conditions, before darkness fell as the end of the day neared and the chequered flag came down on Day 3. The only team yet to start their programme at the Barcelona Shakedown are Aston Martin, having stated earlier in the week that they intend to run on Thursday and Friday.

‘DEBRIEF’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...qpwxqRdzV9CbZZ


Impressive Mercedes thunder on in Barcelona as Lando Norris shows off new McLaren
28 Jan 2026
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Mercedes maintained its sterling reliability at the start of 2026 F1 pre-season testing as George Russell clocked up the laps on a day when McLaren finally made its first appearance. In terms of reliability, Mercedes again made a particular impression. George Russell had completed 92 laps by 1 pm local time.

After the car completed 154 laps on Monday, between Russell and team-mate Kimi Antonelli, the Silver Arrows is currently amassing the data on its W17. Russell also ended the morning session with the fastest lap, 1:17.580s, set late on. For some time, Alpine's Franco Colapinto had led the way with a 1:19.150s.

After sitting out the first two days of the five-day private test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, all eyes were naturally on the McLaren garage to see if the MCL40 would make an appearance. Finally, bearing the No.1 on his car, F1 champion Lando Norris took to the track to complete systems checks, clocking 34 laps, seemingly without any issues. The car is expected to run more productively over the final two days.

‘Impressive Mercedes thunder on’;

https://racingnews365.com/impressive...ff-new-mclaren


Norris hails 'decent day' after first laps in new McLaren
28 Jan 2026
The Straits Times

Jan 28 - Formula One champion Lando Norris said he'd enjoyed a "decent day" in his new McLaren after completing 77 laps at the Barcelona shakedown test on Wednesday.

The Briton will hand over the MCL40 to Australian teammate Oscar Piastri for Thursday's session before getting back in on Friday for the team's third and final day at the Circuit de Catalunya. "It was just nice to be back, nice to see a number one on my car, pretty cool and pretty surreal still. It's a good feeling," said the 26-year-old after lapping in cold temperatures at the Spanish Grand Prix track.

"Our first day on track, first time everyone gets to see the car in one piece. It's literally not been built until this morning... nice to see it all come together. And then I go and have some fun driving it which turned out to be a decent day. Today was really just a first understanding of the whole car, understanding just how it works really, going through the manual."

'Decent day';

https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/f...in-new-mclaren


Red Bull extreme design reveals radical 2026 F1 approach
Red Bull did not return to action at Barcelona on Wednesday following Isack Hadjar's crash the day before. This allowed RacingNews365's technical expert, Paolo Filisetti, the opportunity to notice some striking aspects of the RB22.
28 Jan 2026
Paolo Filisetti
RacingNews365

Red Bull's absence from Wednesday's pre-season test running provided a rare opportunity to scrutinise the RB22's aerodynamic philosophy, highlighting that the Milton Keynes-based squad has again pushed boundaries with its unconventional approach. Two standout features demonstrate just how aggressively Red Bull has interpreted the 2026 regulations. The crash structures flanking the cockpit sit prominently atop the sidepods, with their extremities extending well beyond the bodywork profile.

This radical positioning allows Red Bull to maintain remarkably compact sidepods, maximising airflow towards the car's rear sections where crucial downforce is generated. It's classic Red Bull engineering: finding performance gains where others see regulatory constraints. The second notable element mirrors Mercedes' approach: a pronounced slot carved into the diffuser's lateral section.

This wide aperture in the vertical sidewall directs airflow through a critical aerodynamic zone, suggesting both teams have identified similar performance opportunities. That Red Bull and Mercedes have converged on comparable solutions isn't surprising. Advanced computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel correlation now allow teams to optimise every millimetre of bodywork, often leading to similar conclusions despite different starting philosophies.

‘Pushed boundaries with its unconventional approach’;

https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-e...26-f1-approach


Aston Martin issues notable update on participation in Barcelona test
28 Jan 2026
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

Aston Martin is still to confirm whether the team will definitely start testing in Barcelona on Thursday. When asked by GPblog, the Silverstone-based team would only say that it still has the ‘intention’ of making it out on track.

The team missed the first three days of testing for unspecified reasons, but stated on Monday that the plan was to conduct their first runs with the new AMR26 on Thursday and Friday. GPblog understands that plans have not changed, with Sky Sports F1 reporting on Wednesday that the new car still needed to be assembled overnight at the track in Spain.

‘Notable update’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/exclusive-...barcelona-test


Williams boss defends ‘incredibly painful’ F1 shakedown decision
James Vowles insists Williams will be fully prepared for pre-season testing in Bahrain despite making the “incredibly painful” call to miss the private Barcelona shakedown.
29 Jan 2026
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

The Williams team principal confirmed the team’s 2026 car has now passed all mandatory crash tests and will be ready to run when official testing begins on February 11, after opting not to use any of its permitted days in Spain. Speaking during the Barcelona week, Vowles admitted the absence was far from ideal. “[It] clearly wasn’t our plan, and it’s incredibly painful,” he said.

‘Vowles admitted the absence was far from ideal’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2026-b...debut-new-car/