Overview
- Each team fielded two cars for the single-day session, pairing a young driver in a 2025 car with a modified mule car to evaluate 2026 prototype tyres under reduced-downforce conditions.
- Mercedes ran a conspicuous Straight-Line-Mode front wing on its mule car driven by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Ferrari trialed its own concept under FIA-approved active aero simulations.
- Pirelli presented the 2026 tyres with a new sidewall logo and a five-compound range (C1–C5), retaining 18-inch rims but with slightly smaller widths and diameters front and rear.
- Aston Martin junior Jak Crawford set the fastest lap, while Antonelli completed the most mileage and was the quickest among regulars, though teams cautioned that times were not comparable.
- Max Verstappen, George Russell and both Aston Martin race drivers did not run, there was no official broadcast or live timing, and the day featured a brief red flag for Ryo Hirakawa’s crash plus reliability issues for Haas and delays for Aston Martin.