F1 drivers and teams reflected on the five-day running after the final day of running in Barcelona Shakedown to start its F1 2026 preparations.
While Mercedes and Visa Cash App RB finished off their programme on Day 4 of Barcelona Shakedown, eight teams were on track on the final day on Friday with multiple drivers in action. Only 10 teams participated after Williams pulled out of the first official running of F1 2026 cars.
The unofficial times put Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on top across the five days. Even though F1 put up five days, teams could only run for three days. Apart from Williams, the nine teams completed its quota, while Aston Martin only ran for one full day and just one hour the other day.
Both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ran well on the final day, as did McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, especially for the Australian, whose run on Day 4 got hampered due to fuel system issue. Among the front-runners, Red Bull got crucial running courtesy Max Verstappen.
Post the crash of Isack Hadjar on Day 2, Red Bull had to wait couple of days for parts to arrive to fix the car. They got it sorted in time to allow Verstappen get valuable track time. Their old partner Honda, though, did not enjoy as much track time as they would have liked.
After few laps in the Adrian Newey-designed AMR26 on Day 4 courtesy Lance Stroll, teammate Fernando Alonso ran 61 laps on Day 5 to collect as much data to churn. It was a bright run for Haas as well, who completed 191 (unofficial) laps across the two drivers to eliminate any reliability concern.
They had a serious issue on Day 4, but worked through the night with new parts to get a better run on the final day. The lap count was high for Alpine as well, with Pierre Gasly completing 164 laps on his own, as they start their new journey with Mercedes power unit at the back.
It was a quiet time for Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, but the F1 team got some laps on board after early issues as acknowledged by the team officials. Even at Cadillac, the lap count was on the low side throughout the shakedown, with Valtteri Bottas in action on Day 5.
Here’s what F1 drivers/team said –
Norris (McLaren): “Today was a valuable day of learning, and it felt great to be back in the car. I’m grateful to the entire team for their hard work and support. It’s a pleasure to drive another McLaren this year, and running the No.1 for the first time was a special moment for all of us throughout the Shakedown. We’ve identified opportunities and areas to improve, and we’re excited to see what we can do back in Woking as we prepare for Bahrain. We have plenty of additional things to learn this week in the simulator, alongside our Simulator and Development Drivers, and I’m looking forward to getting to work on those.
“These cars definitely require a new way of thinking and driving and the more time spent working on those, the better prepared we will be for the start of the season. Thanks to everybody involved for making it a strong day of running to wrap up the week. Time now for a few days off before getting right back into it at the start of next week, before we get back in the car in Bahrain. I can’t wait to get going again next time.”
Piastri (McLaren): “Today was a much smoother day than our first two. It was good to get a solid number of laps on the board and settle into a rhythm. I’m starting to feel what the car is really like, and we’ve already tried a variety of configurations and settings to understand how it behaves for a race weekend. Overall, the priority this week has been clear: understand the car and improve it. There’s still plenty to learn, especially on the power unit side. Together with HPP, we’re working to deepen our understanding to extract the most performance. The feedback from both me and Lando is proving valuable. We’ve also identified some differences from last year across the chassis with the car carrying more downforce, so getting used to that balance has been a key focus.
“Looking ahead to Bahrain, we feel well prepared. There haven’t been many major surprises in how I need to drive and ensuring everything works as expected remains the biggest focus. We’ll review what matched our expectations, what didn’t, and anything interesting we’ve uncovered so far. Overall, it’s been a successful step in the right direction to start the year off, so thanks to all of the team for working hard to prepare the car and make it happen.”
Verstappen (Red Bull): “It has been nice to be back on track this week, the first morning I had in the car I couldn’t do too many laps because of the weather but Friday was good. We did a lot of laps today and that was really the key, we learned a lot and there are, of course, still a lot of things that we want to look into but it’s a good star. So much work has gone into this powerunit over the last few years and to see it then go into the car and on the first day, immediately do so many laps was great to see. There were a lot of emotional faces in the garage and that was very special.
“Everything is still a work in progress but we have hit the ground running quite well. We need time to understand the engine and make set up changes, you try to put as many laps on the board and try as many things as you can in the day. I think we are doing that and this is what this Shakedown was about and what we will continue to do. It is a complicated formula for everyone to get right, which means there is still a lot of work to do before we head to Bahrain. We will go again there and keep the work going.”
Leclerc (Ferrari): “Overall it’s been a productive shakedown. We completed our programme and managed to run a good number of laps, which was important to start understanding the car and the new systems. The first day in wet conditions was tricky, especially with a completely new car, but it turned into a valuable learning experience. The last two days were positive as well, and now the focus shifts to analysing the data and working in Maranello ahead of the Bahrain test.
“Overall it’s been a productive shakedown. We completed our programme and managed to run a good number of laps, which was important to start understanding the car and the new systems. The first day in wet conditions was tricky, especially with a completely new car, but it turned into a valuable learning experience. The last two days were positive as well, and now the focus shifts to analysing the data and working in Maranello ahead of the Bahrain test.”
Hamilton (Ferrari): “It’s been a really productive and enjoyable week. There has been a huge amount of work over the winter, both personally and from everyone in the team, and it’s good to see that reflected in the mileage we’ve been able to complete without major issues. Driving in wet conditions early on was actually a valuable experience, especially with a new car, and overall it’s been a solid start. There’s still a lot to learn and plenty of work to do, but the atmosphere in the team is positive and focused. Now we’ll take everything we’ve learned, continue analysing the data and prepare carefully for the Bahrain test.”
Bearman (Haas): “It was a good morning – we did double the mileage of Wednesday in about half the time, so that’s positive. We obviously had issues on Wednesday – ones we understood and rectified, and so thankfully I was able to get back into the car today and enjoy a very clean program. I learned a hell of a lot about the car today. We’ve got some quality laps banked which helps the data, which wasn’t really the case on Wednesday with our limited track time. We’ve got the opportunity with Esteban in the afternoon to build on that. I’ve got some first impressions now about what I like about the car and what I dislike in terms of things like its balance.
“We’re already seeing what we can do to rectify things for the afternoon’s running and of course then for Bahrain. We have a brand new car, brand new power-unit, new regulations – it’s a huge change for Formula 1, and it’s really nice to be involved in that from a driving perspective. I’ve never had the opportunity before to go through a big regulation change coming up from spec series before joining F1 last season. I really feel like, as drivers, we can get stuck in and make a difference as well.”
Ocon (Haas): “It’s been a crazy effort from the whole team to do what they’ve achieved, from driving in Fiorano and turning the car around to be driving two days later in Barcelona. I don’t think from the outside people will realise how tough that is, as it has been around 15 days that the team has only had a few hours sleep each night. It’s been an enormous effort with a lot of learning from this test, we’ve completed a lot of valuable laps, and I think it’s been very productive. There’s obviously still a lot of things we need to dig into, and we have two more tests for that, but I think it’s a solid first base to look at things and hopefully get more performance from the car ahead of the season.”
Hulkenberg (Audi): “Today was definitely our best day of the week – over 140 laps over both sessions. This gave us great mileage across all systems. This kind of running is really valuable at this stage, and we’ve taken away a lot of lessons that we’ll now review. With a new power unit and a lot of firsts, we expected a few bumps on the road and we worked through them well. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re making progress every day, learning and improving step by step. The team has done a great job, working hard and pulling in the same direction. Now it’s about going through all the data, a couple of sim and factory days, getting ready for Bahrain. Quick turnaround, but looking forward to being back in the car.”
Bortoleto (Audi): “Overall, it’s been a positive day of running on top of an encouraging testing week. Getting some solid laps in was a big step for me today, which shows the step forward we made from Day 1, when we had technical problems that cost us quite a bit of time. That’s what shakedown is about after all: putting the car on track, building mileage, and uncovering the small issues so that we can fix them and understand our car better. The team did a great job getting through the programme, and we are clearly moving in the right direction. Now, the focus shifts back to the factory to work on correlation and prepare for two weeks in Bahrain, where conditions will be completely different. There is still something to learn and improve, but this has been a strong starting point to build from.”
Alonso (Aston Martin): “It’s always a special moment driving a new car for the first time, especially at the start of a new regulation cycle. Over the years I’ve experienced many changes in Formula One, and you quickly get a sense of the direction the car is taking. We completed a solid programme with strong mileage, which is the main priority at this stage. It’s still very early days and we have a lot of work still to do before we head to Melbourne in March.”
Stroll (Aston Martin): “It was a huge effort across the team to get the car ready, so I really appreciate all the hard work that went into getting us on track. My running was limited, but it was good to get behind the wheel for the first time and start to get a feel for the car. I look forward to getting to Bahrain and driving the car again.”
Perez (Cadillac): “We had a productive time in Barcelona completing a good amount of running across the three days with valuable information gathered. As a team, we’re starting to explore the car, set-ups and the directions we want to be taking. The point of this shakedown is to get more mileage to identify areas to improve that we can address before we go racing. There is a lot of work ahead of us, especially being a new team, but it’s an exciting time. I’m really enjoying being back in a team, there’s a great spirit here to move forward.”
Bottas (Cadillac): “It’s been a milestone week for the team and my first time driving for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. Right now, it is the problem-solving phase for the team with it being a new car and the first time we’re properly running it after our shakedown. This week has been very valuable and important. We still have plenty of work to do, however with each run we are getting better and more together as a team and understanding more about the car. I’m proud of everyone for working so hard to have us running the car in Barcelona. We’ll be using next week to understand everything we’ve learned so far in preparation for Bahrain. We can’t wait to go testing.”
Neil Houldey (McLaren): “We’ve wrapped a demanding but rewarding Barcelona Shakedown, and we’re pleased with the overall outcome and learnings we can take away from each individual lap recorded. Following our full-car dyno work in Austria, the first two days in Barcelona were about preparing the car and while some small issues cost us mileage across day one and day two of running, the final day delivered exactly what we needed with both drivers completing extensive laps without any reliability concerns. Our shakedown checklist remains familiar, but the new power unit regulations have added complexity, especially around deployment and harvesting. We did what we could in the simulator, but there’s no substitute for track time, where close collaboration with Mercedes-Benz High Performance Powertrains has helped us refine solutions.
“We also validated the new straight and cornering mode and focused on understanding the best operational approach. The data haul has been invaluable. Telemetry from running the car will sharpen simulator realism now that the drivers have experienced the real thing. We completed meaningful aero work, including flow visualisation, and gathered extensive references to benchmark our next development steps. As a team both trackside and in Woking, we’ve packed a lot into this week, and we’ll be heading to Bahrain for Pre-Season Testing intent on arriving with a faster, more reliable car than the one we started with this week.”
Laurent Mekies (Red Bull): “We knew it would be a very special moment to be here for the first time with RB22 with our own PU, so on Monday there was a special atmosphere in the garage. The last few months and weeks have been incredibly hectic to be ready for this Shakedown, but ultimately, we were there waiting to roll out of the garage at 9am. So, I must take the opportunity to say a huge thank you and well done to everybody back in Milton Keynes on both the chassis and PU side, because it was a historical moment to see the car out there. We got more than a hundred laps in on Monday with Isack, which was a positive day and then Tuesday was a bit more difficult for us. Max ran in the morning and only got one long run in before the rain came, but we felt it would be good learning and interesting to run in the wet with this new generation of cars. We switched to Isack in the afternoon and there was no chance for dry tyres, but we got some good data in the wet. He went off at the end of the day, in what were very tricky conditions and with a lot of things still to get right on the car side. It was unfortunate, but these things happen and it came after a very positive day on Monday for him.
“The number of laps Isack completed and the development and learning he and the Team gained cannot be underestimated. It was an incredible job by the Team trackside and back on Campus to get RB22 back on track for Friday, there have been some long nights to ensure we got a third day of running. Max was in the car all day and he too got over 100 laps on the clock, giving insightful and beyond valuable feedback, as we continue to learn about this new car and PU. We have a lot to take away from this week and Max’s experience and detail with engineering will help us shape the preparations for Bahrain and beyond. In terms of what we were expecting from the powerunit in these first three days, I can only stress how proud we are of everyone back at base who delivered us this PU. Ford were here trackside to see everything come to life and it’s a big thanks to them for their part and support in this special story. Of course, it is very early days and nothing is perfect but we have started to learn already and work as one Team on this. It was a great satisfaction, but it doesn’t change the magnitude of the journey ahead of us. We know we have to do our homework and take things step by step.”
Frederic Vasseur: “It’s been a long week but overall a productive one. We experienced different conditions, from wet to dry, and managed to complete a significant amount of running each day, which is crucial at this stage to collect data and check reliability. We didn’t encounter any major issues, which is an important outcome. It’s still very early days and there is a lot to analyse and improve, but now we’ll return to Maranello to work through what we’ve learned and prepare for the Bahrain test, which will be more representative.”
Steven Nielson (Alpine): “This was the first of three tests this year, so it’s a really busy schedule for us. We shook the car down in Silverstone before we came here and probably left with more questions than answers, but we’ve been able to come here and work through some of that and find solutions, particularly with energy recovery, which will be a steep learning curve for us and all teams for that matter. The feedback and input of the drivers is vital to that and learning about these new cars which have much higher straight-line speeds we’ve not seen before, as well as less downforce in the corners. So, there’s a lot to learn for teams up and down the paddock. Luckily the weather has held up for most of this week and with the days we chose to run, we had effectively dry running and covered lots of milage and managed to collect useful data.
“We leave Barcelona having ticked off some boxes and will look to continue that trend in Bahrain in a few weeks’ time. Well, there’s new regulations and also a new PU supplier for us, so an awful lot to learn and I’m sure most of the other teams are doing the same stuff and getting to know the nuances of the new components in terms of energy deployment and recovery. We have spent weeks and months working on this generation of car and working together with Mercedes on the Power Unit side. So, nothing has come as a surprise but there’s nothing like doing it for real and getting to know new team members and integrating them. This week has primarily been about going through systems and procedures and getting familiar with the car, not just for the team but the drivers also.”
Ayao Komatsu (Haas): “We had our reliability issues on Wednesday, but again, everyone on the team did a great job to get things turned around and get us back out on Friday for our final day on track. We received what we needed, in terms of replacement parts, quite late yesterday but then the preparation of the car overnight was brilliant – we were ready to go out at 09:00 today. We stuck to our program and really learned a lot. We’re just constantly learning about the car. With the new regulations, on both the power-unit and chassis side, it’s a big change in terms of how you get the performance out of the car and how to be consistent both in one-lap qualifying style performance and then sustained running.
“Everything we learn here though puts us in a better spot for going to Bahrain testing. I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made. Today it’s not just been about the quantity of laps, it’s been about the quality of laps and that’s a positive thing for us. We’ve got a huge amount of data to look at, again – things like aero-characteristics are very different, and there’s lots to digest on the PU side as well. We’ve got a week to go over everything and put improvements in place for Bahrain.”
Mattia Binotto (Audi): “This shakedown week marked the beginning of our journey as Audi Revolut F1 Team and as a power unit manufacturer. Seeing the R26 hit the track for the first time on Day 1 was an emotional moment for all of us. There is still much to learn, but we leave Barcelona having gained a solid understanding of our new car and engine, and how they behave on track. The first day brought some challenges that slightly affected our running plans, but step by step we managed to get more laps, build mileage, and collect valuable data. The more we run, the more we learn, and the better feedback we can provide.
“Even though we know there is still room to grow and develop, this is a fantastic project and everyone is fully committed to it. Both drivers were able to put laps on the car, becoming familiar with the power unit, energy management, and drivability, and providing crucial feedback. We leave with a long list of items to work on, but that is a positive: it shows the team’s dedication and focus. I want to thank the whole team – trackside and back in Hinwil, Neuburg, and Bicester – for their effort, commitment, and motivation over these days. Now, we take what we have learned and push forward, aiming to make even more progress in Bahrain.”
Jonathan Wheatley (Audi): “After three meaningful days of running in Barcelona, I find myself pleased with the level of progress we’ve made this week as a team. This shakedown wasn’t just about running the car – it was also about putting our entire trackside operation to the test and integrating our chassis and powertrain personnel into one cohesive team. From reliability to logistics, operational procedures to pit equipment, everything was under scrutiny. Both drivers spent time in the R26 and their feedback will be invaluable in shaping future car development. We’ve encountered a few early challenges, but the way the team came together to find solutions has been impressive.
“It is exactly why these tests exist – to push ourselves and grow stronger – not just operationally, but as a team. We leave here with a focus on being in the best possible shape for the Bahrain test. With six more days of testing ahead, and the opportunity to present the car on track to the public for the first time, there’s a real sense of momentum and anticipation. On a personal level, I want to thank everyone at the track, in Hinwil, Neuberg and Bicester for the enormous effort over the past weeks. This week was a critical milestone on our journey as a team, and we can be proud of the progress we have made together.”
James Key (Audi): “Barcelona marked a significant step in our development journey as we ran the car through its first full test programme. We came here knowing it wouldn’t be a flawless week – there were still many firsts for us, with a brand-new car and power unit package, and extensive collaboration between Neuburg and Hinwil. As expected, we faced some early challenges, which is completely normal at this stage. They were all well understood and fixable. That said, we made clear and consistent progress as the week went on, and by the second half of the test, we were able to run more productively and begin extracting meaningful insights.
“This test was never about performance – it was about validating the fundamentals and ensuring our core systems are functioning reliably. In that regard, we’ve made good progress and now have a solid foundation to build on heading into Bahrain. Every lap completed is a step forward, and the work from both the trackside team and our colleagues in Neuburg and Hinwil has been instrumental in moving us forward. Well done to the entire team for their efforts this week.”
Mike Krack (Aston Martin): “Getting a new car on track for the first time is always an important step. Bringing the AMR26 to life here in Barcelona has taken a big effort, both back at the AMR Technology Campus and from the team working trackside. I want to thank everyone across the team for the work that’s gone into getting us to this point.
“Having both drivers in the car and providing valuable feedback and data is an important part of our pre-season preparations. It’s also been helpful as we continue building our working relationships with new works partners, including Honda. We’ll now take what we’ve learned and keep developing the AMR26 ahead of Bahrain testing.”
Graeme Lowdon (Cadillac): “We come away from the Barcelona shakedown making real progress, with encouragement and excitement within the team. The target for this week was focused on working through certain programs and ticking off tests related to reliability to ensure we have a stable platform to build from. It’s only the fourth day of this team running its first Formula 1 car and each lap completed across shakedown has provided us with valuable insights.
“Every day we’re getting more streamlined, the procedures are working well, and people are working extremely well together, which I’m really happy about. The combined experience of Checo and Valtteri has been vital with their approach to working with the engineers and mechanics throughout this week. There’s still a lot of work to do but that’s the same for all the teams in the pit lane. We now look forward to Bahrain testing as we continue to build on what we’ve learned.”
Here’s the different F1 2026 cars: https://x.com/F1/status/2017306275550212345?s=20
Here’s how F1 2026 Day 1 panned out
Here’s how F1 2026 Day 2 panned out
Here’s how F1 2026 Day 3 panned out
Here’s how F1 2026 Day 4 panned out
Here’s how F1 2026 Day 5 panned out
