P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lance Stroll completed the fewest laps by a considerable margin of the drivers present in the official Barcelona shakedown test.
Former Aston Martin chief strategist Bernie Collins believes Lance Stroll will have felt “hard done by” to have completed only four laps in the official Barcelona shakedown test. Aston Martin arrived late to the opening five-day test ahead of the 2026 F1 season, only emerging onto the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya towards the end of the fourth day. Stroll was the first to exit the garage in the AMR26; however, his initial running in the new car concluded after just four laps. Following a short shakedown, the Canadian reemerged onto the circuit but stopped in the final sector with 16 minutes remaining as a precaution. That brought Stroll’s running in Barcelona to an end, as Fernando Alonso was given the entirety of the final day of the test. Alonso completed 61 laps in Adrian Newey’s latest design, putting Stroll on the back foot ahead of the first of two three-day tests in Bahrain. In Collins’ eyes, it will have slightly frustrated Stroll to have completed so few laps, but he is confident Aston Martin will ensure its drivers have equal running by the end of pre-season testing.
