Formula 1 Winter Test Barcelona 2026: The First Impressions of a New Era
Formula 1 has officially started the new season with the winter test in Barcelona at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. From Monday 26 to Friday 30 January, the Formula 1 teams are testing their new car. We at Carnews will keep you updated daily.
Day 1 — Monday 26 January: New Cars, Limited Presence
The first day of the test week saw a somewhat incomplete line-up. Of the eleven teams, only seven were on track: Red Bull, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Haas, Alpine, Cadillac, and Audi. McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin chose to start later in the week, while Williams didn’t even take any action at all, presumably due to issues with the crash tests for their new car.
Red Bull offered a first glimpse of their new RB22 and managed to put Isack Hadjar at the top of the unofficial timesheet. The French rookie thus became the fastest F1 combination on day 1, although speed is less important than data collection in such a private test.
Day 2 — Tuesday 27 January: Rain and Incidents
Day 2 was heavily affected by changeable weather, which made testing difficult for the teams. Rain disrupted the sessions, and the emphasis remained primarily on reliability and setup work.
At the same time, the test week saw its first major incident when Hadjar crashed heavily in the last corner in the afternoon. Fortunately, the Frenchman remained unharmed, but the damage to the Red Bull car was significant enough that the team management had to revise the programme.
Due to the private nature of the test, no official live timing is available, but according to insiders, it remained an intense day where teams tried to collect as much data as possible despite the conditions.
Day 3 — Wednesday 28 January: More Action & Balance Checks
On Wednesday, the winter test continued, and conditions seemed slightly more favourable, though the weather remained unpredictable, and wet periods could never be entirely ruled out.
McLaren typically made its debut, while the presence of other teams remained somewhat diffused due to the private nature of the test.
It was also interesting to read that Red Bull’s engine specialists acknowledged that the unit is not yet perfect and that further fine-tuning remains necessary, an important observation in a season where engine development once again plays a major role.
First Conclusions After Three Days of Testing
Teams that Stood Out
- Red Bull — showed early speed, but had a heavy crash.
- Mercedes — good foundation, with many laps and positive feedback on the package.
- Ferrari — limited test mileage so far, but with a completely new and differently designed car.
- Williams — absence raises questions about preparation.
Why This Test is Important
The winter test in Barcelona is not just a spin around the circuit. In 2026, this session marks a new technical era: new engines, revised aerodynamics, and far-reaching regulations mean that teams must rediscover how to balance performance and reliability.
Because the test takes place behind closed doors, we won’t be presented with live timing or extensive footage, but the information that does leak suggests an intensive first week where the focus is primarily on understanding the new cars.
What We Can Still Expect
The winter test officially runs until Friday 30 January, and teams may use a maximum of three out of five test days to refine their cars. Attention will then shift to the official pre-season test in Bahrain in February, where the public and media will gain more insight into performance under different conditions.
Keep following Carnews.nl for the latest updates from Barcelona!
