Russell and Mercedes set stunning benchmark at F1 2026 winter testing

Barcelona is playing host to the first week of winter testing for the 2026 season, with ten teams travelling to Spain to get some vital miles under their belt. Williams announced they would be the only team to miss the entire week.

On day four of testing, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, Liam Lawson, and Sergio Perez took to the track for the morning session, and like it was day three, Mercedes were reportedly the team to beat.

Antonelli unofficially clocked a 1.17.081 to go 1.4 seconds clear of the rest of the grid. Piastri's McLaren was second ahead of the Ferrari of Hamilton, while Lawson and Perez rounded out the top five.

Now, the afternoon session of day four has gotten underway, with Russell replacing Antonelli for Mercedes, and the pace continues to be strong for the German team.

The Brit has unofficially become the first driver to break the one-minute-17-second barrier at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with 1.16.928 catapulting him to the top of the timesheets.

Ferrari have also reportedly made a swap, with Charles Leclerc the first car out on track this afternoon as he gets behind the wheel of the SF-26 after Hamilton's morning session.

The Monegasque is unofficially behind the Brit on the timesheets after completing 46 laps compared to Russell's 37, while Arvid Lindblad and Sergio Perez sit in third and fourth after completing 10 laps and 6 laps, respectively.

Currently, no running has been undertaken by McLaren this afternoon, while Aston martin is reported to be taking its first laps of testing later with Lance Stroll.