The fifth and final day of the Formula 1 shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ended with a late change at the top, as Lando Norris set the fastest time for McLaren.

According to the SoyMotor website, at 16:20 local time, Norris recorded a lap of 1:16.594, just over one-tenth slower than the fastest lap of the entire shakedown test, set a day earlier by George Russell for Mercedes. While lap times at this stage remain largely anecdotal, the run ensured McLaren finished the Barcelona shakedown on top of the timesheets.

Much of the day’s attention was also on Fernando Alonso, who completed his first substantial running in the Aston Martin AMR26. The Spaniard followed a progressive programme focused on system checks and baseline validation, steadily increasing pace as the session unfolded.

Ferrari remained among the leading teams throughout the day. Charles Leclerc ran consistently near the front, reinforcing the impression that Ferrari has moved closer to Mercedes over the course of the Barcelona test. Although the true competitive order remains unclear.

Red Bull, Alpine, Audi, Haas and Cadillac all continued their respective programmes, concentrating on reliability work and procedural validation rather than outright performance.

With Norris’s late benchmark providing the final talking point, the Barcelona shakedown concluded with Mercedes still regarded as the reference for overall stability, Ferrari appearing close behind, and McLaren ending the week strongly ahead of the next phase of testing in Bahrain.