The Formula 1 paddock has decamped to Barcelona this week for a five-day private test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Behind closed doors the new 2026 cars are being thoroughly tested. Almost every team is present, including the brand-new Cadillac squad, which was one of the first to hit Spanish tarmac on Monday. Valtteri Bottas had the honour of running the new car. The Finn reported that every team was still wrestling with a few teething problems.
Although the tests in Barcelona are held behind closed doors, the teams and Formula 1 did put out a few reactions about the on-track action. The morning running was relatively calm. Reportedly there were several red-flag stoppages; Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson were said to have come to a halt on track. Valtteri Bottas, who responded via official channels to the morning session, admitted that all the teams were dealing with a fair share of issues.
‘All teams had issues’
“It’s great to be back,” Bottas told F1.com. “With this brand-new team it’s also a unique situation. I really enjoyed being back at the circuit. This was the first time I drove this car, so it was simply nice to be back. I can’t comment much on performance yet, of course, but the key point is that we completed some laps and finished with a slightly longer run. These were the first steps to iron out all the bugs and get everything working better.”
The Cadillac driver was then asked about the conditions on the track. “It was cold,” Bottas laughed. “So early in the morning it’s quite tricky to get the tyres to work properly here. But as the temperature rose, it got a bit better. We had some problems throughout the day, but that’s part of it; that’s why we’re here. It seems every team had some issues. Now it’s mainly a matter of fixing those problems and putting in more and more laps each day. But it’s great to be here and to be in the car.”
