The penultimate day saw plenty of action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Mercedes showing outstanding pace, while McLaren saw their afternoon session derailed after an issue with their machine. The Brit was the first out of anyone to break through the one-minute-17-second barrier with a stunning time of 1.16.928, with no one else able to keep up with an impressive German team.
Russell and Antonelli completed 78 laps and 90 laps, respectively, while
Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three with a 1.18.223 and 83 laps to his name.
Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top five, while
Lewis Hamilton took P6.
George Russell in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Photo: Race Pictures
However, for
Oscar Piastri and
McLaren, the only running they could do took place in the morning session, as an issue derailed their afternoon testing session.
A fuel system issue was the culprit for the British team, meaning their day was done and saw them miss out on valuable miles and data collection.
"We discovered a fuel system problem, and the car's very complex, so we've decided to bring it back into the garage, strip it down fully and understand where the problem is coming from," explained Mark Temple,
McLaren's Technical Director, Performance.
Photo: McLaren Mastercard F1 Team
In the world of
MotoGP, the 2026 silly season is already beginning, with 2021 MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo reportedly joining Honda from the 2027 season, according to
Autosport.
It is believed that the Frenchman has signed a new two-year deal with the Japanese manufacturer, moving on from Yamaha after several difficult seasons.
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