{"id":448364,"date":"2026-02-02T02:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T02:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/448364\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T02:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T02:58:10","slug":"f1-returns-to-life-at-barcelona-shakedown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/448364\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Returns to Life at Barcelona Shakedown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formula 1 held its first five-day test, sorry, \u201cshakedown,\u201d at an unrepresentatively cold and sometimes wet Barcelona, at which teams were permitted to run on three of the days. Of course, you can already check off the bingo list of \u201cit\u2019s too early to say,\u201d or \u201cwe\u2019re not yet focused on performance,\u201d but what\u2019s the lay of the embryonic land as Formula 1 teams and drivers start to get a handle on new cars? <\/p>\n

Ferrari sets the fastest time<\/p>\n

Ferrari flew under the radar for most of the three days of running, but late on it wound up topping the timesheets, with Lewis Hamilton\u2019s effort on Friday narrowly eclipsing George Russell\u2019s previous Thursday benchmark. Compared to the miserable final few months of 2025 both drivers, particularly Hamilton, cut a significantly more upbeat figure. <\/p>\n

\"scuderia<\/p>\n

Callo Albanese\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good, we went through our program, did everything we wanted to do, we pushed a little bit more as well, which was nice to feel a bit the limit of this car and understand a bit more of it as well, I\u2019m happy, we\u2019ve done everything we wanted,\u201d said Charles Leclerc.<\/p>\n

Hamilton described the shakedown as \u201creally enjoyable\u201d and praised Ferrari\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a huge amount of work over the winter, on my side, and what the team has done over the winter to make changes going into the test,\u201d he said. \u201cTo see the mileage we\u2019ve been able to get, due to the great work, I\u2019m really grateful for, having consistency, not having problems, of course there\u2019s always small things but we didn\u2019t have any downtime moments\u2014they could potentially come\u2014but just solid days. <\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

\u201cThe car generation is a little bit more fun to drive, it\u2019s oversteery and snappy and sliding, but it\u2019s a little bit easier to catch and I\u2019d say more enjoyable, but we definitely have work to do to improve, like everyone does, but I really feel the winning mentality in every single person in the team more than ever, so that\u2019s a positive. We know we\u2019ve got work to do, Mercedes have done great running as well, Red Bull and Haas too, we don\u2019t know where we are, but it\u2019s a solid first week and we can really build from here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mercedes makes a mark with miles<\/p>\n

If one team made a statement in Barcelona it was Mercedes. The Silver Arrows have long been tipped to re-emerge as a contender under new regulations and, having run its W17 to the full permitted mileage in its own shakedown, the new car ran well and racked up the miles in Barcelona. <\/p>\n

Mercedes comfortably fronted the mileage charts, running 151 laps on its first day, 183 on the second, and 168 on its third, equivalent to seven-and-a-half race distances at the venue. For a first test under new regulations it was hugely impressive. There was also the gamesmanship of being first out on track when the lights turned green on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a lot of laps, really good mileage for the team, I\u2019m happy because I\u2019ve been learning quite a lot about the car,\u201d said sophomore Kimi Antonelli, who added that Mercedes can head to the Bahrain test with \u201chigh confidence and high hopes\u201d on account of the positive nature of the shakedown. <\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

George Russell explained that \u201cit\u2019s been a very positive test, lots of mileage, the car\u2019s feeling nice to drive, no major issues,\u201d and that \u201cwe can be pleased with this initial foundation we have put in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin echoed the positivity emanating from Antonelli and Russell. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the areas that weren\u2019t great on day one we\u2019ve made good progress, and that progress is making us quicker day by day, but the reliability has just been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really impressive from a reliability point of view, it\u2019s worked brilliantly, the car\u2019s allowed us to run the program day by day as we planned it,\u201d Shovlin said. \u201cWe were focused on just understanding the new systems, there\u2019s always going to be a lot of challenges, all of the areas that weren\u2019t great on day one we\u2019ve made good progress, and that progress is making us quicker day by day, but the reliability has just been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norris still getting used to #1 status <\/p>\n

There was an almost embarrassed smile from Lando Norris when he was addressed as the reigning World Champion, and the Briton conceded he is still getting used to the accolade. Norris rolled out of the garage for the first time on Wednesday with the #1 on the front of his MCL40, following his 2025 title triumph, and beamed with pride. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see the number one on my car, pretty cool, pretty surreal still,\u201d said Norris. \u201cI saw it actually on the timing screen and still find it just unbelievable, it\u2019s still a crazy thing to see, especially when you see it, it\u2019s the first time I see it on my suit, on my car, on the timing screens, still a surreal feeling, the whole situation of being champion. But it doesn\u2019t change anything other than being top of the timing screen before we go out as I\u2019m the lowest number now!\u201d<\/p>\n

The short nature of the off-season\u2014with only seven weeks between the end of 2025 and opening running of 2026\u2014means there has been less time for Norris to digest his achievement.<\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

\u201cI think even now I\u2019m still trying to accept it and realize it happened, but at the same time it\u2019s back to work and now we\u2019ve got to try and do it all again,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes me happy, and it gives me good confidence, but it\u2019s such a big challenge with the regulation changes, but I feel good, I\u2019ve accomplished something huge in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t the smoothest test for McLaren, with a fuel systems issue costing them half a day, but overall the team was encouraged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m starting to feel what the car is really like, and we\u2019ve already tried a variety of configurations and settings to understand how it behaves for a race weekend,\u201d said Oscar Piastri. \u201cOverall, the priority this week has been clear: understand the car and improve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delayed Aston catches the eye<\/p>\n

Adrian Newey\u2019s first Aston Martin was always going to be heavily scrutinized, but it took a bit of time for the AMR26 to appear. The car only made it to Barcelona late on Wednesday and wasn\u2019t ready in time until the closing moments of Thursday, effectively giving Aston Martin just one day and one hour from its allotted three days. <\/p>\n

\"formula<\/p>\n

F1<\/p>\n

When the car did appear, in an all-black livery ahead of its official unveiling, it certainly did capture the attention. The AMR26 has a wider nose than its contemporaries, the sidepods are extremely slender and aggressively undercut, and in typical Newey fashion, the packaging is tight. The suspension mounting points have also been noted, \u201chorns\u201d next to the airbox and, well, probably lots of other tiny details that have yet to be spotted or analyzed. The late arrival leaves Aston Martin slightly on the back foot in terms of mileage and understanding, but the team remains upbeat. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was positive, the car is responding well, it\u2019s the first day and more to come,\u201d said Fernando Alonso. \u201cObviously it\u2019s the first car made by Adrian and together with Honda, the new rules, especially the last two weeks has been very intense to have the car ready and we just made it to Barcelona, so a tremendous effort from everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n

Related StoryNo repeat of 2014<\/p>\n

There were fears in some quarters that the opening day of testing could resemble the difficult first day of the 2014 test at Jerez, when the V6 turbo hybrid power units were trialed for the first time. On that day only a handful of teams were able to string together a few reasonable laps, and across the board there weren\u2019t even 100 laps in total. There were stoppages and glitches\u2014to be expected\u2014but on the first day of running over three teams managed 100 laps, and Haas racked up a mammoth 154 laps. <\/p>\n

\"formula<\/p>\n

Rudy Carezzevoli\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not quite 2014 vibes of half the grid is breaking down and having loads of issues\u2014I think Formula 1\u2019s evolved so much since then and the level\u2019s just so high,\u201d said Mercedes\u2019 George Russell. \u201cFrom every single aspect, it was pretty impressive to see all the teams on the whole having a lot of laps under their belt on day one.\u201d <\/p>\n

Red Bull\u2019s power unit runs well<\/p>\n

Red Bull hierarchy cut a cautious tone at its launch in Detroit last month, pointing out that it would be foolish to have overly high expectations early doors. It is, after all, a new power unit manufacturer going up against long-standing engine producers. But the Red Bull Ford Powertrains DM01, in the back of both Red Bull teams, racked up the mileage in the opening days. <\/p>\n

\u201cOf course it\u2019s very early days and of course nothing is perfect, but we could run, we could start to learn, work as one team, so that was a huge satisfaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to say, in terms of what we were expecting from the power unit on these first couple of days, I can only repeat how proud we are from everybody back at base to have managed to give us something that we can actually run with,\u201d said Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies. \u201cOf course it\u2019s very early days and of course nothing is perfect, but we could run, we could start to learn, work as one team, so that was a huge satisfaction. It doesn\u2019t change the size of the journey in front of us, but certainly it\u2019s a first moment that everybody in MK should be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rival drivers and team bosses also lauded Red Bull Ford Powertrains\u2019 early running, highlighting the challenge of delivering such a product straight out of the box. Racing Bulls were also buoyed.<\/p>\n

\"formulaRudy Carezzevoli\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Isack Hadjar.<\/p>\n

\u201cA new power unit, new power unit manufacturer, RBPT with Ford have done an incredible job,\u201d Racing Bulls\u2019 Team Principal Alan Permane said. \u201cThe whole power unit has run very, very reliably and I don\u2019t say [we] were expecting problems, but we\u2019ve been pleasantly surprised with how things have gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The main setback for Red Bull was Isack Hadjar backing the car into the wall in damp conditions on Tuesday, though spare parts were readied in order for the RB22 to return to action for its third permitted day of running on Friday. <\/p>\n

Absent Williams bullish over approach <\/p>\n

Williams has been on the up in recent years and has long targeted 2026 as an opportunity to make the next step. But its year has started badly as the FW48 was not ready in time for the Barcelona shakedown and it was absent from running. Team Principal James Vowles explained the situation, pointing to Williams\u2019 long-running task of overhauling infrastructure, procedures, and production at its factory. <\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

\u201cIt clearly wasn\u2019t our plan, and it\u2019s incredibly painful,\u201d Vowles said. \u201cI do want it to be acknowledged that it\u2019s the result of our determination to push the limits of performance under new regulations. We are transforming here [at Grove], and fast, and one of my tasks has been to transform this business at the absolute maximum rate possible, and in my experience the only way you achieve that is pushing the limits hard and aggressively and finding the limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vowles explained that the FW48 is \u201cabout three times more complicated than anything we\u2019ve put through our business beforehand,\u201d consequently pointing out that \u201cit means the amount of load going through our system is three times what it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"pit<\/p>\n

Williams F1<\/p>\n

Vowles affirmed that the FW48, which has been undergoing VTT [Virtual Track Testing], will be ready for a filming day ahead of its presence at the Bahrain test on February 11. The car could, he said, have been rushed in time for Barcelona, but at the expense of Williams\u2019 medium-term prospects. He was nonetheless non-committal on whether the FW48 will be overweight on account of the production setbacks. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to find the pain points and put them right quickly, which is what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Vowles said on finding weaknesses within its processes and infrastructure. \u201cI\u2019m confident our decision to miss Barcelona is the right one to prepare for Bahrain and Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n

But with other teams learning huge amounts with every run of their cars in Barcelona there\u2019s no doubt Williams is currently on the back foot. <\/p>\n

Cadillac is a real thing<\/p>\n

Cadillac has been preparing for its Formula 1 entry behind-the-scenes officially for almost a year, and unofficially for much longer, but Barcelona was the first proof of it being a fully functioning and operational Formula 1 team. <\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

There was a motorhome, a garage, a fully staffed group of mechanics, engineers and hospitality personnel, two drivers, and a working Formula 1 car. It may sound churlish or blindingly obvious to say, but it is no longer merely a construct or a concept. Cadillac was one of the first teams to actually run its car, at a shakedown at a wet Silverstone in mid-January, and it was working through heaps of checklists in Barcelona. <\/p>\n


There was no focus on performance, partly explaining its near five-second deficit, just on accruing mileage and gaining understanding, while also getting the trackside team to gel and apply their knowhow from various backgrounds. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people in the team have come from other teams and are no strangers to the paddock, and I think people can see Cadillac F1 is here with serious intent to contribute to the championship,\u201d Team Principal Graeme Lowdon said. \u201cIt\u2019s an enormous challenge, this is the pinnacle of motorsport, you can\u2019t just kind of wander in and perform, it\u2019s a real challenge, we calculated in the senior level we have something like 2,500 years of F1 experience, but 11 months of working together, so it does take time, but I\u2019m really proud of the people we\u2019ve got, the team spirit is fantastic, and this is a team game, everyone\u2019s pulling together and working through the development of an F1 car.\u201d <\/p>\n

Given the experience and knowhow of its 10 rivals, not being last remains a realistic ambition for Cadillac, and it is gradually going through processes and understandings after its first group running. The final livery of the as-yet-unnamed car will be revealed Sunday February 8 during Super Bowl LX. <\/p>\n

\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

U.K.-based Phillip Horton started covering Grands Prix while still at university and swiftly deemed that writing about Formula 1 and the behind-the-scenes machinations was much more engaging than reading centuries-old novels. Degree gained, he went on to cover the sport full-time from 2014 and is as intrigued and excited by the destinations Formula 1 visits during its lengthy annual world tour as the racing itself. Phillip joined Autoweek in 2021 and while he has just about learned to spell in American English he has yet to find anywhere in America that makes a proper cup of tea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Formula 1 held its first five-day test, sorry, \u201cshakedown,\u201d at an unrepresentatively cold and sometimes wet Barcelona, at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448365,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,782,184739,784,578,576,577,1642,184738,82,184740],"class_list":{"0":"post-448364","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-content-type-news","11":"tag-contentid-44a5db41-0b12-45ef-ba56-6117f509b900","12":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","13":"tag-f1","14":"tag-formula-1","15":"tag-formula1","16":"tag-locale-us","17":"tag-shorttitle-f1-returns-to-life-at-barcelona-shakedown","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-subsection-formula-one"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}