Barcelona 2026 test day-3: no rain, today is McLaren’s big day. Mercedes is also back on track

Friendly weather The weather gave some respite to the Formula 1 shakedown tests in Barcelona. Heavy rain should not fall on the Catalan track today – the conditional is always a must – as happened yesterday, when the only teams to take to the track were Red Bull and Ferrari. The sky is currently partly cloudy, with the temperature rising slightly by around 7°C. The wait on this Wednesday is all for McLaren, which will debut the MCL40 after remaining at rest in the first two days. At the wheel, to open the morning, will be Lando Norris. Mercedes is back, Red Bull out. However, Red Bull’s withdrawal has been confirmed after yesterday afternoon’s accident involving Isack Hadjar. Ferrari should also remain in the pits, having yesterday divided the work between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Not even the Aston Martin will be on the track yet, which as announced on Monday should only run in the last two days. A small wake-up call for Adrian Newey’s team. On the track, however, in addition to the reigning world champions, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Haas and Alpine should also alternate. Audi’s participation is perhaps possible. As for the silver arrows, the team has announced that George Russell will get into the car in the morning; in the afternoon there will be space for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In Haas, however, there will be Ollie Bearman behind the wheel – at least for the morning.