The opening day of F1 Testing in 2026 is in the books in Barcelona as Isack Hadjar was quickest, view the full day 1 results below.
Known for quite a while, the first running with the new cars and regs would be held behind closed doors at the Circuit de Catalunya. While there has been the odd photo from a distance, as well as live timing appearing this morning, security has been high and getting information has been difficult.
Nonetheless, there was some good and impressive stories to come out of day 1 of running in F1 2026 at testing in Barcelona.
Three teams impressively broke the 100-lap barrier with their new cars. Esteban Ocon did a whopping 154 laps in the VF-26, while Kimi Antonelli and George Russell combined to pound in 149 laps for Mercedes. Isack Hadjar logged 107 for Red Bull Racing.
At the end of the afternoon, the French driver ended up quickest by putting in a 1:18.159 in the RB22. He was half a second clear of the Brit in the Mercedes. Nonetheless, times at this stage do not mean much.
It was a difficult start for Audi F1 Team. After the car broke down in the morning session, Gabriel Bortoleto did not return to the track in the afternoon. 27 laps was his lowly total.
As for Cadillac, the team put in 44 laps between Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez. The car faced issues in the afternoon, limiting the Mexican driver.
McLaren and Ferrari are due to appear tomorrow. Aston Martin will be out on Thursday at the earliest. Williams will not be attending in Barcelona due to their extremely concerning car issues.
2026 Barcelona F1 Testing | Day 1 results (unofficial)
1 | Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) 1:18.159s, 107 laps
2 | George Russell (Mercedes) +0.537s, 93 laps
3 | Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +2.030s, 60 laps
4 | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +2.541s, 56 laps
5 | Esteban Ocon (Haas) +3.142s, 154 laps
6 | Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +3.354s, 88 laps
7 | Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +6.492s, 33 laps
8 | Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +7.137s, 27 laps
9 | Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +7.815s, 11 laps
