Ten of the eleven teams participated in a week-long private shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Teams were allowed to participate in up to three days of testing on the new car ahead of the first proper pre-season test in Bahrain later this month. Unlike the pre-season tests, this session took place behind closed doors, with restricted access to fans and media. As such, no timing data was officially released, which doesn’t matter too much since the focus of the test was not to judge car performance. Williams was the only team that did not attend the test.
The first day of testing on Monday saw seven teams driving their cars around the circuit. Mercedes was the first to exit the garage, with Audi and Alpine joining in after being delayed by an undisclosed technical issue. They were not the only team to face issues, as the session was red-flagged briefly after Liam Lawson’s Racing Bull came to a halt on track. Red Bull, Cadillac, and Haas also participated in the first day.
Rain hit the circuit for the second day of testing, leading to a much quieter day on track. Only Ferrari and Red Bull were brave enough to participate in wet conditions. After a short red flag when Max Verstappen reportedly ran off the circuit in turn five, the rain began to intensify. There was a second red flag when Isack Hadjar spun into the barrier at turn 14, suffering rear-end damage. Like Red Bull, Ferrari also had both drivers share duties, with Charles Leclerc running in the morning while Lewis Hamilton took over for the afternoon.
Conditions improved on Wednesday for the third day of testing, prompting six teams to spend some time on track. This was McLaren’s first day of testing, with Lando Norris running the whole day. Mercedes reportedly clocked some impressive mileage in the session, with both drivers running a total of 183 laps. Racing Bulls, Haas, and Audi also had their cars on track, reportedly each causing a red flag for a technical issue during the session. Alpine also ran some laps, while Aston Martin did not participate in the session, meaning they would only take two days of testing.
Day four of testing ran on Thursday. It was Mercedes’ final day of testing, and they again logged a strong number of laps, bringing their three-day total to a whopping 500. Their daily total was only beaten by Ferrari, which completed 170 laps. Racing Bulls also completed its final day of testing, while McLaren and Cadillac used their second day. McLaren’s day was cut short by a fuel issue. Aston Martin made its first appearance of 2026, sporting a plain black testing livery. But they only ran five laps in the final hour of the session, with Lance Stroll stopping on the circuit at the end of the session.
The six teams with test days remaining in the shakedown were in action on Friday for the final day of the test. Among them were Ferrari, McLaren, Haas, Audi, Cadillac, and Aston Martin. Ferrari reportedly blocked enough laps to come second to Mercedes, apparently also setting the fastest time of the week, although no official timing has been published. Aston Martin, which had a difficult Thursday with Lance Stroll, had a much smoother day with Fernando Alonso behind the wheel. It was a calm final day of testing, with no red flags recorded.
Christian Horner visited FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem at the FIA offices in Paris, rekindling rumours of his return to F1. Horner spent 20 years of his life growing the Red Bull team, leading them to six World Constructors’ Championship titles and eight World Drivers’ Championship titles. He parted ways with the team midway through 2025 in a shocking move amidst a performance decline and controversy within the team. He is set to participate in his first public speaking tour in Australia at the end of February, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Although there’s no information about his meeting with the FIA President, Horner has been heavily linked to a potential investment in the Alpine team. Otro Capital, the investment group that acquired a 24% stake in the team in 2023, has been looking to sell part of its share in the team. One of the interested groups, according to Alpine, included Horner, although the team insists it is “regularly approached and contacted from potential investors.”
The Miami Grand Prix will receive a hospitality upgrade in the form of a yacht-themed building. The fake marina on the inside of turns five through nine has been a staple of the Miami International Autodrome since its debut in 2022. For 2026, a new four-floor hospitality building resembling a superyacht, named the MSC Yacht Club. Measuring more than 260ft long and nearly 100ft wide, the new building aims to provide fans with a better view of the circuit.
The investment fund co-founded by Pierre Gasly has invested in the Tech3 MotoGP team. Trail Slam, which has invested in a variety of industries from sports to manufacturing to fashion to logistics, was just one of the investment funds to purchase a share of the France-based team. Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner led the acquisition of the team last year, becoming CEO in the process.
Aston Martin has renewed its contract with Stoffel Vandoorne to serve as reserve driver for 2026. This is Vandoorne’s fourth year with the team, having previously been a reserve driver for Mercedes and McLaren from 2020. Vandoorne last raced in F1 in 2018 with McLaren, where he began his career after filling in for an injured Fernando Alonso in 2016. He will work on the simulator and test programmes alongside the team’s other reserve driver, Jak Crawford.
Audi has signed Freddie Slater as the first member of its new driver development programme. Slater will join the programme, which was announced last week, while participating in his first full season of Formula 3 with Trident. The 17-year-old Brit won Formula 4 championships in Italy and the United Arab Emirates in 2024, and the European Formula Regional title in 2025.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
