Formula 1 ran its first test day on Monday ahead of the 2026 season. During a closed shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya several teams took part. A total of five days of running are scheduled, with every team choosing three days to run laps with their new cars. The opening day was busy straight away; no fewer than seven teams hit the Spanish tarmac.
In the build-up to the private tests in Barcelona it was already clear that top teams McLaren and Ferrari would skip Monday. Aston Martin was also absent. That left seven teams on track for the opening day in Catalonia: Mercedes, Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Haas, Audi, Alpine and Cadillac. Williams failed to get the new FW48 ready in time and will not be running in Barcelona this week. Mercedes kicked off early, followed by Audi and Alpine. The circuit was still somewhat damp after overnight showers, but conditions improved as the day progressed.
In the morning session many former rookies were the first to turn laps. Kimi Antonelli immediately covered plenty of mileage for Mercedes, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto for Audi and Franco Colapinto for Alpine. A few F1 regulars also squeezed behind the wheel. ten-time race winner Valtteri Bottas ran for Cadillac, which arrived in Barcelona with a special camo-livery. The initial laps were largely without major issue, although footage of red flags did circulate on social media. Bortoleto and Colapinto are said to have stopped once each by the end of the morning session. Reportedly Liam Lawson experienced the same later.
Hadjar fastest in the morning session
In the morning session Isack Hadjar, driving for Red Bull, clocked the fastest time. Antonelli and Colapinto followed at a respectable gap. Naturally these test sessions are a poor guide to the true pecking order; every team is running its own programme. Tyre choices in Barcelona also vary widely. Red Bull ran almost exclusively on the softest compounds. Esteban Ocon logged the most laps for Haas on Monday morning; the Frenchman completed 67 circuits.
In the afternoon a number of teams carried out driver swaps. Kimi Antonelli handed over to team-mate George Russell. Where social media had been awash with lap times and analysis during the morning, the circuit fell noticeably quiet in the afternoon. Reportedly Formula 1 was keeping a tight lid on onlookers in and around the track. An illegal livestream that had been broadcasting data from the circuit in the morning was also intercepted. Conditions improved too; it had been fairly chilly at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon.
As for the reliability of the new cars — and the new engines — the opening test day went smoothly. According to Valtteri Bottas, all teams did suffer the usual gremlins, but that is to be expected at a shakedown. Reportedly Mercedes and Haas both managed to complete more than a hundred laps with the W17 and the VF-26 respectively. The Silberpfeile are using their own factory engine, while Haas relies on a Ferrari power unit. Red Bull and Racing Bulls, both running a new in-house powertrain, are said to have covered just over fifty laps each.
See the F1 calendar for 2026 here
