Renault has blamed faulty batteries for electrical problems suffered in testing by McLaren and Red Bull.

McLaren had two electrical-related problems on Tuesday, the first day of final pre-season testing in Barcelona, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen also brought out a red flag when his car stopped on the track.

Renault's works team had no problems but technical head Bob Bell said it was nothing to do with the way the batteries were installed.

"What we do ahead of (the March 25 season opener in) Melbourne is that we try and shake down all of the battery systems to make sure all of the stock that are going racing are in good shape," he told the formula1.com website.

"That's why we test them here. We revolve them around the customer teams and ourselves to make sure they are all tested ahead of Melbourne. So it's not unusual to find issues," he added.

McLaren have switched to Renault this season after terminating their difficult three-year relationship with Honda.

Honda's new partners Toro Rosso - owned by Red Bull - have done many more laps than McLaren, whose first week of testing in Barcelona was hit by mechanical niggles.

Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne lost power in the car early on Tuesday but was able to coast back to the pits. He suffered the same issues when he went out again and stopped on track. The team then changed the battery.

His day's testing was ultimately cut short by a hydraulic leak.

McLaren, who last won a race in 2012, are desperate to get back on the podium this year while Red Bull, who took out three races in 2017, are seen as potential title contenders again.

"Those problems could have affected any of the three teams so, of course, it's an issue for us," Bell said of the issues.

Each driver is allocated two 'energy stores' per season under the regulations.

"That's a pretty heavy duty cycle for them, and the importance of making sure they are completely fault-free is critical, which is why we test them ahead of Melbourne," explained Bell.