F1 2026 testing live: Lewis Hamilton replaces Charles Leclerc for Ferrari in Barcelona

We had onlookers peering through binoculars on the hills. We had boisterous security guards warding off unwanted intruders. And we had a broadcast blackout, the ultimate paradox in this fly-on-the-wall Formula 1 era.

All in all, it was a peculiar start to the 2026 season this week in Barcelona. It always looked an oddity on the pre-season schedule that this week’s five-day “shakedown” event – essentially referring to the first occasion a team trials its new car – would be held in secret. There was a limit on photographs, videos, interviews and the release of lap times, despite 40 hours of track time in total.

Yet inevitably, information has leaked out. With two more pre-season tests to come in Bahrain next month, ahead of the season-opener in Australia on 8 March, this was not the teams performing at their optimum. Some did well to make the test at all, given Williams’s absence due to car delays.

The likes of Mercedes and Red Bull were out of the blocks quickly, while Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin maximised their development time in joining later in the week. The miles clocked varied up and down the grid but for new teams, like Audi and Cadillac, every lap helped as they gathered crucial data to prepare for the campaign ahead.

But who were the winners and losers from this week’s first pre-season test?

After a tough week so far, there is cause for optimism for McLaren!

Lando Norris has just set the fastest time of the day - a 1:16:594 - which is just a tenth off George Russell’s leading time on Thursday.

In the hour or so that remains, can he beat it?

“It has been a productive shakedown so far. After a difficult first day in wet conditions, today we were able to run consistently and, most importantly, to accumulate mileage, which was the main objective.

“Reliability and learning are the priorities at this stage, especially with such a significant change in the regulations. We gathered a lot of data and followed our programme as planned, which is an important first step.

“There is still a long way to go before the start of the season, but this is exactly what these days are for: understanding the car, analysing every area in detail and continuing to improve step by step as we head towards Bahrain.”

George Russell is the current favourite with the bookies:

• George Russell - 9/5
• Max Verstappen - 7/2
• Lando Norris - 13/2
• Fernando Alonso - 7/1
• Kimi Antonelli - 8/1
• Oscar Piastri - 11/1
• Charles Leclerc - 13/1
• Lewis Hamilton - 19/1
• Carlos Sainz - 55/1
• Lance Stroll - 66/1
• Isack Hadjar - 66/1

Odds provided by Betfair

By Kieran Jackson

Just 39 days since Lando Norris’s title triumph in Abu Dhabi, the Formula One wagon is slowly cranking back into gear. Yet this time, those changes of gear are clunky and unpredictable. 2026 marks a deep dive into the unknown: new regulations, new teams and, for most of the field, new dreams. Disregard the usual gossip and murmurs. The truth is that nobody really knows what to expect.

And so it was 4,000 miles from UK’s so-called “Motorsport Valley” in the Midlands and Oxfordshire, which hosts six of the now 11 teams, where the love-or-loathe F1 launch season began in piercing sub-zero conditions on Thursday night. The venue was Michigan Central Station in Detroit, with temperatures around -10C, as Red Bull took to the stage alongside one of America’s biggest car manufacturers.

Full piece below:

1. Mercedes 963

2. Ferrari - 815 (-148)

3. Red Bull-Ford - 575 (-388)

4. Audi - 161 (-802)

5. Honda - 54 (-909)

They took their time after lunch, but we now have five drivers going through their run-plans on track.

Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are the men out there right now.

Laps completed so far this week:

1. Mercedes - 500

2. Ferrari - 369 (-131)

3. Racing Bulls - 321 (-179)

4. Haas - 303 (-197)

5. Alpine - 261 (-239)

6. Red Bull - 254 (-246)

7. McLaren - 202 (-298)

8. Audi - 161 (-339)

9. Cadillac - 143(-357)

10. Aston Martin - 54 (-446)