How Barcelona’s F1 shakedown went for the 2026 field
The complexity of F1’s 2026 rules overhaul is such that teams requested an extra shakedown on top of two three-day tests in Bahrain to prepare for the start of the season in Melbourne in March. The new power units, with a much bigger reliance on a more powerful electric MGU-K system, caused such nerves that […]
The «huge changes» Aston Martin had to overcome to make the Barcelona F1 shakedown
Like Indiana Jones snatching his misplaced fedora from under a rapidly descending stone doorway, Aston Martin’s timing was dramatically close to the edge this week. The team arrived for the Barcelona shakedown week late on the third of the five days and only achieved a handful of laps when its AMR26 emerged from the garage […]
What happened on day four of F1’s secretive 2026 shakedown
Aston Martin finally appeared on track in the latter stages of the fourth day of the Barcelona Formula 1 shakedown, while Mercedes kept collecting miles and McLaren’s day was cut short with trouble. Fresh from turning over 90 laps apiece on Wednesday, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell traded turns again on Thursday with a […]
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 […]