Barcelona Testing Wrap: Mercedes Tops Mileage Charts as Teams Push 2026 Cars
Mercedes has emerged as the clear leader in pre-season testing, racking up an impressive 500 laps over the five-day session in Barcelona. While these tests don’t reveal much about pure speed, they’ve given teams crucial reliability data as they develop their 2026 machines.
The new cars already seem surprisingly reliable this early in development.
Ferrari wasn’t far behind, completing 437 laps throughout the test. Haas also had a strong showing with 391 laps under their belt.
Alpine managed a respectable 349 laps over the week, with Racing Bulls and Red Bull following closely at 318 and 303 laps respectively.
McLaren logged 288 laps in total.
Audi, still finding their footing as F1’s newest manufacturer, accumulated 243 laps across the test period. Cadillac managed just 164 laps.
It was a tough week for some teams. Aston Martin’s running was severely limited with only 65 laps completed.
Williams didn’t manage to record any laps at all in Barcelona.
Looking at power unit performance, Mercedes dominated the field. With their engines powering three teams, they accumulated a massive 1,137 laps over five days.
Ferrari-powered cars came in second with 992 total laps.
Red Bull-Ford combined for 621 laps across their two teams, while single-team Audi managed their 243.
Honda had a particularly difficult test, with their engines completing just 65 laps throughout the entire session. That’s a worrying sign this early in development.
Complete Testing Results
Mercedes: 500 laps
Ferrari: 437 laps
Haas: 391 laps
Alpine: 349 laps
Racing Bulls: 318 laps
Red Bull: 303 laps
McLaren: 288 laps
Audi: 243 laps
Cadillac: 164 laps
Aston Martin: 65 laps
Williams: 0 laps
Power Unit Totals
Mercedes (3 teams): 1,137 laps
Ferrari (3 teams): 991 laps
Red Bull-Ford (2 teams): 621 laps
Audi (1 team): 243 laps
Honda (1 team): 65 laps
The reliability gap between manufacturers could prove crucial as development continues toward 2026. Will Honda recover? Can Audi build on their solid start? The coming months will tell us more.
