Rain clears for testing day three as teams hit the track in Barcelona
After morning downpours soaked the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, skies finally cleared on day three of pre-season testing, giving teams a chance to run in dry conditions for the first time.
McLaren finally made its much-anticipated debut with Lando Norris taking the MCL40 for its first laps after sitting out earlier sessions.
The day wasn’t without drama though. Two red flags disrupted testing – one caused by Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi RS26 stopping on track, and another when Oliver Bearman ground to a halt at Turn 2.
Charles Leclerc seemed upbeat after putting Ferrari’s SF-26 through its paces during Tuesday’s morning session.
Despite tricky track conditions, Leclerc noted the team had carefully worked through their planned program without major issues.
Isack Hadjar crashed in the day’s biggest incident, losing control at Turn 14 in the final hour of his afternoon stint.
The Red Bull driver skidded off and hit the barriers, causing a red flag and leaving his RB22 with visible rear wing damage. The team is still assessing whether the gearbox was affected.
The crash came shortly after Hadjar completed his 51st lap while sitting atop the timesheets ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen dominated the morning session in the other Red Bull, clocking a time more than eight-tenths quicker than Leclerc’s best effort.
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