Leclerc's long-run pace puts Ferrari ahead at tyre-ravaged Barcelona practice

Charles Leclerc led Ferrari’s long-run simulations at the end of Friday’s second free practice session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the Scuderia emerging as a surprise contender after a day defined by extreme tyre degradation across the entire Formula 1 field.

Drivers lost as much as five seconds of pace within ten laps — even on the C3 compound, which serves as the medium tyre this weekend. That level of degradation has the potential to completely reshape the competitive order by Sunday’s race.

Ferrari arrived in Spain with eight upgrades to the SF-26 and, crucially, a car that historically struggles to generate tyre temperature but tends to suffer less degradation as a result. At Barcelona, that characteristic may prove to be a trump card. After accounting for differences in stint lengths and compounds, Leclerc was 0.16 seconds per lap faster than Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in the long runs. His Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton (+0.83) and George Russell (+1.4) both encountered significant difficulties over race-distance stints.

The results are notable given that Barcelona has traditionally been considered a difficult circuit for Ferrari, with Mercedes and McLaren generally performing more strongly there in recent seasons.

Reigning world champions McLaren were on average 0.39 seconds per lap slower during the long runs and also struggled with degradation, though the team looked considerably stronger over a single lap — as did Mercedes. That single-lap pace means identifying a clear favourite for the rest of the weekend remains difficult, and teams will now work to adjust their setups around the high degradation levels before qualifying.

Red Bull present a similarly complex picture. Max Verstappen managed only sixth in the qualifying simulations, and the team’s long-run pace (+0.45) was broadly comparable to McLaren’s, leaving them noticeably behind Ferrari and Mercedes. Red Bull were competitive through the high-speed first sector but lost time in the corners, while Ferrari’s gains came in the second sector despite losing ground on the straights. Mercedes and McLaren appeared more consistent across all three sectors.

With setup changes still to come and degradation levels this severe, the competitive hierarchy at Barcelona could look very different by the time the lights go out on Sunday.