Norris outpaces Ferrari drivers in Barcelona tyre test
McLaren and Ferrari are on site at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona for two days this week as Pirelli conducts its second 2026 tyre development test of the year.
Formula 1’s exclusive tyre supplier kicked off its development sessions last week at Paul Ricard where McLaren put the Italian manufacturer’s future extreme wet and intermediate rubber through their paces.
Tuesday's action saw Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc share a ‘mule’ version of Ferrari’s 2024-spec SF-24 – the team’s latest design – while Lando Norris drove McLaren’s specially adapted MCL60 on Tuesday.
Pirelli tested various combinations of construction and compound, selecting the latter from the hardest end of the range (C1 to C3) as they are well suited to the Spanish track, which puts significant demands on tyres.
The three drivers completed a total of 332 laps in dry conditions.
Lap times in tyre testing hold little significance, but for what it’s worth, Norris topped the timesheets with a fastest lap of 1m15.215s while completing 159 laps.
©Pirelli
Hamilton was the quicker of Ferrari’s two drivers, the Briton recording a best time of 1m15.930s over 87 laps.
Leclerc, meanwhile, completed 86 laps, with his best effort clocking in at 1m16.060s.
Pirelli’s tyre test continues on Wednesday in Barcelona, with Hamilton and Leclerc again sharing driving duties for Ferrari, while Oscar Piastri takes over from Norris at McLaren.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
The post Norris outpaces Ferrari drivers in Barcelona tyre test appeared first on F1i.com.