First look of the 2026 F1 season during the Barcelona shakedown

While we’re all eagerly awaiting the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, the first round of  pre-season testing has already taken place in Barcelona. The test had all the ingredient of an interesting start following one of the most significant regulation changes in Formula 1 history. Here’s what we’ve learned.

First things first.

One of the first notable absences was Williams. Due to production delays, the team was forced to sit out the Barcelona test and instead opted for virtual simulations. All eyes are now firmly set on the next test session in Bahrain later this month.

It’s also important to stress that the lap times from these early test days are not a definitive indicator of which team will emerge as the strongest contender in 2026. With that being said, Mercedes did however make an eye-catching start into the new year. Bookmakers have already begun tipping George Russell as a potential favorite for the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.

The Barcelona shakedown also marked the first real day at school for the new teams joining the 2026 grid. Cadillac and Audi did successfully complete their main objective of gathering data, although both teams reported a couple of expected rookie mistakes along the way.

Let’s look at the numbers.

Lewis Hamilon’s Ferrari turns out to be the fastest with a 1:16.348 lap time, followed closely by George Russel (1:16.445) and reigning world champion Lando Norris (1:16.594). Charles Leclerc placed the second Ferrari ahead of the no-longer-rookie Kimi Antonelli. Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon completed the top ten. The new teams can be found further down the order, with Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto finishing 15th and 16th, while Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez ended the session in 18th and 19th.

Even though these numbers might be promising to some, ultimately none of the teams were chasing fast lap times in Barcelona. The focus was solely ensuring everything functions as it should, before returning to home bases.

We now eagerly wait for the next pre-season testing in Bahrain, which is scheduled for 11-13 February, where we hope to gain clearer insights into which car may be the running leader in the 2026 Formula 1 season. And as we’re counting down, only four weeks left until lights out and away we go at the Australian Grand Prix.