Mercedes suffered its first substantial setback of pre-season testing after Lewis Hamilton’s programme was curtailed by an oil pressure anomaly on Thursday.
Hamilton, who took over from Valtteri Bottas for the afternoon session, did not appear for the first hour of running, and then completed only 14 laps in the W11 before the car stopped.
Hamilton’s W11 halted at Turn 6, bringing out the red flags, and his car was returned to the pit lane.
Mercedes confirmed that “we’ve experienced an oil pressure anomaly, which made the engine shut down as a precautionary measure.
“We’re further investigating the issue; unfortunately that means our running for today is done.”
Mercedes encountered a minor electrical issue last week while customer team Williams has had a handful of power unit issues through the test.
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-350x250.webp)
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-360x180.webp)
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