Ferrari and McLaren on track in Barcelona
Pirelli’s second test session of 2025 got underway today at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, the track located near the Spanish town of Granollers. Having already taken part in the two-day session at Paul Ricard, McLaren F1 Racing was again working with Pirelli on 2026 tyre development, joined this time by Scuderia Ferrari HP.
Three race drivers were on duty today, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc sharing a modified SF-24, while Lando Norris was at the wheel of the MCL60, specifically adapted to support testing with the FIA Formula 1 World Championship’s sole tyre supplier. Last week’s work for the Pirelli engineers focused on the intermediate and extreme wet tyres and this time the programme centred around development of the slicks. Specifically being tested were various combinations of construction and compound, the latter from the hardest end of the range, from the C1 to the C3, as they are well suited to the Spanish track which is particularly demanding on tyres.
A total of 332 laps was completed: Hamilton doing 87 (best time 1'15''930), Leclerc 86 (1'16''060) and Norris 159 (1'15''215).
Testing at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit continues tomorrow, when Oscar Piastri will drive for McLaren, with Leclerc and Hamilton again in the Ferrari, the former in the morning and the latter in the afternoon.
