F1 opened the new technical era with a tightly controlled, closed-doors shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Seven of the 11 teams ran on the first day, while Ferrari and McLaren deferred their programmes. Williams skipped the Barcelona shakedown entirely because of car delays. Organisers disabled live timing and limited teams to three of the five test days, making Barcelona a guarded prelude to the longer February Bahrain tests and prioritising system checks and data gathering over public performance comparisons.

The primary story was mileage and reliability. Mercedes split running between Kimi Antonelli in the morning (56 laps) and George Russell in the afternoon (95 laps) for a combined 151 laps (about 700 km). Haas and Esteban Ocon also logged heavy mileage (Ocon roughly 154 laps), and Red Bull completed over 100 laps.

Isack Hadjar put the RB22 on top of the unofficial times with a 1:18.159, with Pirelli reporting that Red Bull ran predominantly on the C3 soft compound. Timings and comparisons from the Barcelona shakedown should be treated as unofficial and were several seconds slower than last year’s Spanish Grand Prix practice benchmarks, reflecting the day’s emphasis on durability rather than outright pace.

The day offered the first meaningful look at the new power units and how teams are adapting to revised hybrid and aerodynamic rules. Red Bull debuted its RBPT unit developed with Ford and showed encouraging mileage and apparent reliability. George Russell singled out both Red Bull’s new engine and the Ferrari-supplied unit used by Haas for strong running. New manufacturer entries had a mixed start. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto stopped at Turn 10 with an issue under investigation, and Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas completed a limited programme of roughly 30 laps before Sergio Pérez later ran the car. Alpine triggered a morning red flag with a sensor problem while Franco Colapinto had a brief wobble before returning to the pits.

With running deliberately restricted and several teams yet to appear, the Barcelona shakedown served chiefly as a reliability and systems check. It signalled the start of a markedly different technical era in F1 but left many performance questions unresolved ahead of the February Bahrain tests.

A behind-closed-doors private shakedown for 2026 cars at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya opened with several teams delaying or shortening their on-track programs. Aston Martin skipped the first day but planned to run later in the week, and PlanetF1 reported that McLaren and Ferrari also had shortfalls. PlanetF1 additionally suggested that the Adrian Newey–designed AMR26 had passed the relevant FIA safety tests, although some late component specifications still required homologation, leaving room for late-stage technical and regulatory checks before full pre-season running resumed.

Williams confirmed it would not take part in the Barcelona shakedown, announcing the FW48 was behind schedule and that the team would instead run a virtual test-track (VTT) program and preparatory checks, most likely at AVL in Austria. Coverage cited build delays that teams have linked to the sweeping 2026 chassis and power-unit regulations and reported that compliance with FIA crash-test rules acted as a gating requirement for on-track appearances. Some outlets said crash or stress-test timing was a factor in Williams’ absence. Under team principal James Vowles, Williams also acknowledged diverting development time to the 2025 car during late-season work, a decision the team said contributed to the FW48 delay. Missing the Barcelona shakedown, the first of three pre-season events required by the regulations, reduces Williams’ early on-track mileage and data collection compared with rivals who ran in Spain, and the team will rely on Bahrain to complete critical validation and setup work that real laps would ordinarily provide. While the VTT and preparatory program aim to limit the shortfall, reporting noted that virtual runs cannot fully substitute for live running, leaving Williams with a catch-up task once on-track testing resumes.

Rain during Tuesday morning of the Barcelona pre-season test forced Mercedes, Alpine, Audi, and Cadillac to cancel planned running; Haas remained offline to analyze opening day data, and Aston Martin confirmed it would miss both Tuesday and Wednesday, expecting to run only the final two days. McLaren had planned to start on Tuesday alongside Ferrari, but only Ferrari and Red Bull logged laps in the early session. Red Bull had topped Monday after strong running from Isack Hadjar, with him and his partner Max Verstappen logging laps across the two opening days. Verstappen briefly beached the RB22 at Turn 5 on an outlap, triggering a red flag of just over five minutes, but he recovered, and testing resumed.

Late on Tuesday, Hadjar crashed the RB22 into the tire barriers at the final corner with roughly 30 minutes remaining, ending Red Bull’s second day early. The car skipped across the gravel and came to rest backwards against the barriers, with eyewitnesses reporting likely rear-wing damage. Initial accounts did not determine whether the loss of control stemmed from driver error or a mechanical issue, and team officials began assessing spare-part availability to see if any further running could be achieved before the 6 p.m. local checkered flag. Red Bull can choose when to use its remaining permitted test day before Friday to fly spares in from the U.K., and that decision will determine how much of its planned program it can recover ahead of the season.

Charles Leclerc completed a limited shakedown of Ferrari’s SF-26 at Fiorano after Lewis Hamilton sampled the car moments earlier. Ferrari limited running to the 15-kilometer demonstration allowance. The brief outing proceeded in foggy, slightly wet conditions, with Tifosi present, and was primarily a systems check. Both drivers said sensors and basic systems checked out, but cautioned it was too early to judge on-track performance.

Hamilton said the sight of the Tifosi and the short run reignited his passion, while Leclerc described the outing as exciting and emotionally significant. The Monégasque also warned that the 2026 regulations require drivers to relearn many software programs and to adapt energy management and driving style, calling the transition a “big challenge” that nonetheless excites him.

Footage showing brief stops prompted scrutiny, but sources said those halts were intentional so Ferrari could maximize the demonstration allowance and return the cars to the garage rather than indicate technical trouble. The shakedown underscored Ferrari’s cautious rollout, prioritizing reliability and driver confidence before seeking performance gains.

Ferrari expects to move beyond these checks at the Barcelona pre-season test, Jan 26–30, where engineers and drivers will search for the SF-26’s limits. Several other teams also carried out Fiorano shakedowns as preparations continue. However, Williams confirmed it will miss the Barcelona test to focus on Bahrain, while Aston Martin and McLaren planned limited attendance in the early days.

Alpine entered 2026 carrying the fallout from a miserable 2025 campaign that left the Enstone team bottom of the constructors’ standings. Pierre Gasly accounted for all 22 points while rookies Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto failed to produce top‑10 finishes. That on‑track decline followed years of leadership churn, starting with the departure of Marcin Budkowski in January 2022, the removal of Otmar Szafnauer after the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, and Bruno Famin leaving in 2024. More recently, Oliver Oakes led and then exited the garage in mid‑2025, handing the reins to Flavio Briatore, who took over as executive advisor and de facto leader. The Italian has set a hardline tone, privately and publicly warning there are “no more excuses.” He now effectively co‑leads the team alongside managing director Steve Nielsen and has made the engine supply switch a central plank of his plan to restore competitiveness.

As part of that reset, Alpine controversially shut down Renault’s Viry powertrain plant and announced it will use Mercedes power units for 2026. The decision has prompted protests and debate amid a compression‑ratio controversy, but which the team argues could offer an advantage under the new regulations. Alpine revealed its 2026 challenger, the A526, aboard the MSC World Europa with Briatore, Nielsen, technical director Davide Sanchez, and drivers Gasly and Colapinto in attendance. The reveal prefaced an initial shakedown at Silverstone after postponing an earlier Barcelona test because of complications with the Mercedes engine. Alpine is now heading to pre‑season testing in Barcelona this week, with the engine change, new regulations, and an early running of the A526.

Alpine has publicly set a target of at least a top‑five finish in the constructors’ standings, but leaders caution the reset may not succeed and have warned that further organizational instability could follow if results do not improve. The timing of tests, including Williams’ absence from the first pre‑season test, may create short‑term competitive openings, yet the true measure of progress will arrive once the season begins and the team’s collaboration with Mercedes is tested in race conditions. Taken together, the leadership overhaul and the switch to Mercedes power units represent a high‑stakes technical and managerial gamble designed to halt Alpine’s slide and attempt a resurgence in 2026.

Pre‑season testing began at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya this week under an expanded five‑day program that lets teams run on three days and restricts media access. Several teams elected to skip sessions: Aston Martin delayed the AMR26’s planned debut and missed the opening two days (first running not expected until mid‑week at the earliest), Williams will skip the entire Barcelona test, and McLaren will miss the opening day, leaving multiple garages empty and Aston Martin potentially forfeiting some or all of its three allotted running days.

Aston Martin blamed technical and development hold‑ups, as engineers were still finalizing the Adrian Newey–designed AMR26 and finding it hard to translate extreme aerodynamic concepts into a completed chassis. The team’s switch to Honda as its works power‑unit supplier added pressure after Honda admitted “problems” with its new 2026 unit, citing integration and packaging challenges. Broader 2026 rule changes have also complicated efforts to meet design and weight targets. These updates include a smaller, lighter chassis, an approximately 50/50 electric/combustion power split, and a reduced minimum weight target of 768 kg. The delay is especially sensitive given the substantial investment in a new campus and Newey’s arrival.

Missing early running reduces Aston Martin’s opportunity for setup work, mileage, and data collection and limits driver acclimation for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ahead of the Bahrain test windows on February 11–13 and 18–20. The late start could compress development and comparative data gathering in a pre‑season that prioritizes reliability, particularly as manufacturers such as Audi and Honda try to maximize limited on‑track time. Ferrari is focused on establishing a reliable reference car and accumulating mileage to avoid repeating 2025 problems, while Alpine and other teams are prioritizing clean, incident‑free running. Reports say Aston Martin could attempt to run later in the Barcelona window or concentrate on the Bahrain sessions to make up lost mileage.

McLaren released digital renders of the MCL40 in a black-and-silver one-off test livery for the Barcelona shakedown. The images show Oscar Piastri’s No. 81 alongside reigning champion Lando Norris’s No. 1 and reveal technical changes, including a drooped nose, ramped sidepods, and a return to front push‑rod suspension, plus slightly larger Mastercard logos.

McLaren said the scheme is a temporary test livery and will stage an official full‑season reveal on February 9. The team said the MCL40 is designed to build on the MCL39’s performance. The MCL39 is credited with 14 wins and back‑to‑back constructors’ titles, a run that culminated in Norris’s drivers’ crown, and the new car reflects an ambitious, 20‑month redesign affecting chassis, power‑unit integration, and tire work.

The team will skip the opening day of the five‑day Barcelona shakedown and is likely to use three of the five days, possibly starting on day two or three. The MCL40 had not completed any filming or shakedown runs before the limited running. Chief designer Rob Marshall said the restricted programme is likely to mirror what McLaren will take to the first race rather than beginning from a deliberately basic baseline.

Team principal Andrea Stella framed the compressed test plan as a way to maximise on‑track development and said the wider programme remains on course despite the scale of the redesign. McLaren is targeting the Australian Grand Prix in March as its first competitive reference point to validate the car in race conditions, with several rivals also adopting staggered Barcelona schedules.