F1: 3 Things We Learned From the Barcelona Shakedown Test

Ten of the 11 teams left Barcelona with feedback from their cars and drivers. Williams was the only team that did not run their new FW-48 in Barcelona, opting for more time to develop their car.

The new cars have a target weight of 724kg plus the mass of the tyres. The 2026 machinery will look smaller to the eye, thanks to a shorter wheelbase, down by 200mm to 3400mm.

The width of the car has been reduced by 100mm, and the floor width has been reduced by 150mm as per the FIA regulations.

Who Was Quickest?

(Almost) against all odds, Ferrari left Barcelona with the quickest lap time of the week. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had a set of new soft tyres to use and clocked a time of 1m16.348 seconds in the SF-26 on the final day of testing.

Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc was fourth fastest with a time of 1m16.653s, behind George Russell and Lando Norris.

Aston Martin and newcomers Cadillac brought up the rear on the timesheet.

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Which Car Was The Most Reliable?

Eliability at the Barcelona shakedown test can be measured by how much distance each team covered.

According to Crash.net, the Mercedes pair of Russell and Kimi Antonelli were the busiest drivers of the week. The duo completed 502 laps between them, totalling 2325km. Ferrari’s SF-26 completed 62 laps fewer than Mercedes, covering 2050km.

“From a reliability perspective, it’s been a good week for us. The car has enabled us to run the programme exactly as we wanted, each of the three days, and that’s what we hoped for coming here to Barcelona,” said Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director.

The Italian team’s boss, Fred Vasseur, said: “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.”

At the other end of the table, Audi, Cadillac, and Aston Martin dealt with issues that curtailed their running in Barcelona.

The British team only completed 65 laps and missed out on nearly two full days of running. Lance Stroll only managed four laps before his Aston Martin broke down.

However, Adrian Newey’s latest car has the F1 paddock abuzz with a startling new design for 2026.

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What Does This Tell Us Ahead of The Bahrain Test?

All the talk before the season was that Mercedes had the edge over the other teams in terms of development. Their showing in Barcelona was commendable, and all eyes will be on their drivers in Bahrain. The Brackley-based team logged strong mileage and will give them loads of confidence. Ferrari was a surprise package, based on the way they ended last season.

The shakedown test allowed the teams to evaluate setups in cold conditions. When they head to Bahrain, the temperatures will be significantly warmer, and the team can run other setups.

We’ll finally get to see Williams on the tarmac in Bahrain, and the trio of teams that complete the least mileage in Barcelona will want to use every minute to learn more about their 2026 machinery.