P1racenews AI automatic summary:
F1 2026’s first pre-season test ended with Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari on top.
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap time for Ferrari in the first week of F1 2026 testing in Barcelona, beating George Russell’s previous record with a time of 1m16.348 seconds.
While early in the testing phase, Hamilton’s performance provided encouragement for Ferrari after a disappointing 2025 season.
Hamilton’s effort pushed reigning world champion Lando Norris to second place in his McLaren, with Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri also showing promising speed for Ferrari and McLaren respectively.
Max Verstappen returned to testing for Red Bull after a day of spare parts wait, ending up fifth quickest following a small off-track excursion.
Fernando Alonso grabbed attention by testing Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin for the first time, with Pierre Gasly impressing by completing the most laps in his Alpine.
