The third day of Formula 1’s 2026 Barcelona shakedown took place on Wednesday under strict privacy measures again at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with a limited number of cars running and only fragmentary information emerging from the paddock.

Mercedes, Alpine, Audi, Haas and Racing Bulls were active on track, while McLaren completed its first laps of the shakedown programme. Ferrari and Cadillac did not run, with Ferrari set to use the final two of its three permitted filming days on Thursday and Friday. Red Bull is still assessing whether it will return to the circuit following Isack Hadjar’s crash on Tuesday, while Aston Martin is expected to make its first appearance on Thursday.

According to unofficial lap times published by Spanish outlet SoyMotor, Mercedes topped the timesheets on Day 3. Kimi Antonelli reportedly set the fastest lap of the day with a 1:17.362, narrowly ahead of team-mate George Russell, who finished over two tenths behind.

McLaren finally joined the running after sitting out the opening two days of the shakedown. Lando Norris ended the day third on the unofficial classification, just under a second adrift of the Mercedes benchmark. As expected, McLaren’s programme appeared to focus on initial system checks and baseline data gathering rather than outright performance.

Alpine placed two cars inside the top five, with Franco Colapinto fourth fastest and Pierre Gasly close behind in fifth. The French team continued its structured build-up with a steady, uninterrupted programme.

Behind them, Oliver Bearman placed sixth for Haas, while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad featured seventh on the unofficial timing sheets.

The session was interrupted several times by red flags. Audi was responsible for stoppage due to technical issues on its car, while Racing Bulls also caused a brief halt to running. No further details were officially released, in line with the strict information controls surrounding the shakedown.

Audi ultimately finished the day eighth with Nico Hülkenberg, although lap times across the field remain highly indicative only. Teams are running different programmes, fuel loads and tyre compounds, with no official timing data published by Formula 1.

Running is scheduled to continue on Thursday, with Ferrari and Aston Martin both expected to join the shakedown for the first time, potentially increasing on-track activity as teams move deeper into their initial 2026 preparations.