Max Verstappen believes Red Bull have made a positive start to their 2026 F1 preparations at the Barcelona shakedown, with the Dutch driver pleased by the amount of running completed during the opening phase of testing despite challenging weather conditions.
Max Verstappen reflects on 2026 F1 Barcelona shakedown
Speaking after early on-track running, Verstappen acknowledged that weather disruptions limited mileage initially, but stressed that the team was still able to gather valuable data as it begins work under the new F1 regulations.
“Yeah I think overall pretty decent. I mean the first morning I didn’t get to do too many laps also with the the weather basically, but it was good.“
“I did a lot of laps, we learned a lot, still a lot of things that we want to look into and do better but that’s normal I guess and in general for us with the new engine you know to do the the amount of laps that we did is very nice and it’s a good start for us so yeah positive but yeah still very early days.”
Major regulation overhaul
The new season marks a major reset for Formula 1, with significant changes to power units and car design. For Red Bull, ensuring reliability and understanding the new package has been a priority at the 2026 Barcelona shakedown, with Verstappen highlighting the importance of early mileage.
While encouraged by the opening phase, the Dutch driver was quick to emphasise that development remains ongoing as teams across the grid continue to adapt.
“Still a work in progress but I think we’ve hit the ground running quite well with those things so it’s still a very complicated formula I think for everyone so there’s still quite a bit of work to do but that’s normal.”
With initial running complete, Red Bull’s focus will now shift to the next phase of testing, as teams prepare for further evaluation in Bahrain.
“Yeah exactly that and then we’ll go again in Bahrain.”
When asked how he is feeling heading into the year, Max Verstappen announced he had been ill during the weekend and hopes it has cleared up by the next time the cars hit the track.
“Ill, I’m a bit sick so I hope I feel better at the start of the season.”
