Mercedes impresses with first race sim at F1’s Barcelona shakedown
Mercedes has delivered a strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season as Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed a full race simulation on day two. The Mercedes W17 ran reliably on both Monday and Wednesday, with George Russell having completed 92 laps by lunchtime yesterday before handing over the car to Antonelli. The youngster then reeled […]
«Surreal» to see number 1 on my car as McLaren kicks off F1 2026 testing
Lando Norris says driving around as the reigning Formula 1 world champion was a «surreal» feeling as he took to the track in Barcelona for a day of discovering his 2026 McLaren MCL40. McLaren delayed its start to pre-season testing until Wednesday, the third of five shakedown days at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya. With […]
Williams missed Barcelona F1 test due to production delays, denies significant weight issue
Williams Formula 1 team boss James Vowles says it is «incredibly painful» for his squad to miss out the Barcelona shakedown test this week, but denies rumours the team’s car will be significantly overweight. Last week Williams abandoned its plans to attend F1’s first testing opportunity of the 2026 pre-season in Barcelona, losing three days […]
What happened on day two of F1’s secret 2026 test
The second day of Formula 1’s secretive ‘shakedown week’ at the Circuit de Catalunya proved much quieter as only two teams took to the track. Ferrari, like McLaren, had signalled its intention to miss the opening day but the reigning constructors’ champion also did not appear on the second. Each team is permitted three days […]
Red Bull undecided on third Barcelona F1 test day after «very unfortunate» Hadjar crash
The Red Bull Formula 1 team is still evaluating its plans for a final day of Barcelona running after Isack Hadjar suffered a crash with the new RB22 on Tuesday. In tricky wet conditions, Hadjar spun backwards into the wall at Barcelona’s final corner, damaging the rear of Red Bull’s 2026 challenger in the process […]
Why Williams doesn’t expect F1 2026 to define its next steps
Off the back of a much-improved 2025 campaign which yielded a comfortable fifth place in the Formula 1 world constructors’ standings, Williams is now a team that is looking up rather than over down. Over the past 18 months the Grove-based squad harvested bountiful low-hanging fruit that was holding it back, and that meant that […]
Which engine will each F1 team use in 2026?
Formula 1 is embarking on a new era with its 2026 season as the championship will introduce widespread changes to its technical regulations. Car chassis will become lighter and smaller, while more emphasis will be placed on electrical energy, which will have a near-50:50 split with the internal combustion engine. There are also two new […]
First footage of Audi 2026 F1 car emerges at Barcelona shakedown
A first glimpse of a 2026 Formula 1 car in action has emerged on social media, with sneak footage of Audi’s Barcelona shakedown having been posted on YouTube and by the team. Audi’s car, which will be known as the R26, was given a handful of laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – the incoming […]
Audi to become first team to run 2026 F1 car in Barcelona filming day
Audi’s first ever Formula 1 car will take to the track as early as 9 January at Barcelona, Autosport understands. The brand-new R26 will perform a filming day with drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto at the wheel. This means Audi will likely be the first team to get some track time in F1’s new […]