Day 4 of secret F1 test: Aston Martin debuts, Mercedes shines, McLaren stalls

On the fourth day of Formula 1’s secretive 2026 pre-season shakedown, Aston Martin revealed its new car on track.

The Aston Martin AMR26 was unveiled on late afternoon. After persistent delays, Lance Stroll completed five installation laps in it in the final hour, showcasing a distinctive sidepod design. The Stroll’s run ended abruptly on the track, bringing out a red flag.

Teammate Fernando Alonso is expected to drive the car on the final day, Friday, January 30.

The fourth day turned out to be a good day for Mercedes. It completed its three days of testing in Barcelona. Another important point is that it completed more laps than any other team, enhancing the brand’s reliability and credibility, even on its new cars.

On the contrary, McLaren faced problems. A failure in the fuel system stopped Oscar Piastri after 48 laps. The team is assessing the problem with the possibility of another run on the last day.

Additionally, Lewis Hamilton had a good day in the Ferrari, completing 85 laps despite a small spin early on. While Red Bull continued fixtures followed by Isack Hadjar’s crash on Tuesday, January 27.

All teams will study their data after the secret test’s last day and will conduct improvements before next month’s official pre-season test in Bahrain.