Charles Leclerc reportedly put his Ferrari top of the timesheets in the morning of the fifth and final day of the Barcelona Formula 1 pre-season test, but Fernando Alonso’s first appearance of the week stole the show.
The Monegasque’s 1:16.653 was enough to see him go fastest, around eight tenths ahead of the McLaren of Oscar Piastri.
Leclerc was reported to have clocked 79 laps in the new SF-26, as did Piastri in the MCL40, the car that will defend the Constructors’ Championship for the papaya team.
It was another strong showing from Oliver Bearman and Haas, who was fourth and clocked the highest tally of laps with 105, but the biggest attention was afforded to Alonso, who completed an impressive 49 laps in the AMR26.
The Adrian Newey-design machine made its first outing on Thursday afternoon, completing just five laps with Lance Stroll at the wheel, before the car broke down.
Alonso was spotted arriving at the Circuit de-Barcelona Catalunya on Thursday, and apparently spoke of his excitement at the prospect of driving the new car to local TV stations.
Max Verstappen was also in action, reportedly third, just over 1.5s behind Leclerc after 69 laps in the RB22.
As always this week, the following lap times and lap counts are all subject to confirmation due to the media and data blackout.
View the full classification below
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:16.653 | 79 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:17.446 | 79 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:18.285 | 69 |
| 4 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:18.423 | 105 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:19.754 | 78 |
| 6 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:20.179 | 64 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:20.795 | 49 |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:22.790 | 33 |
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