The 2026 Formula 1 season is set to be a thrilling one, with teams gearing up for the start of the season in Melbourne. But before the action begins, teams had to undergo a series of tests to ensure their cars were up to scratch. The Barcelona shakedown was a crucial part of this process, and teams had to navigate the challenges of the new power units and regulations. Here's a team-by-team breakdown of how the shakedown went.
Mercedes
Mercedes had a productive start, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli amassing a whopping 500 laps. The team was able to get all of its running in by Thursday evening, and the Silver Arrows seemed to have a spring in their step. The reliable and productive start was a positive sign for the team, and they were able to move on to a first tentative race simulation on Wednesday and a few qualifying-style runs on Thursday.
Ferrari
Ferrari may not have grabbed as many headlines as Mercedes, but they had a very positive start. The team opted to run on a rainy Tuesday, and Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both appeared to be buoyed by a more straightforward start to the season compared to 12 months ago. The Scuderia quietly got off to a great start, and the engines almost ran for a total of 1,000 laps, which isn't a world away from Mercedes' tally of 1,137.
Red Bull
Red Bull impressed with a very productive debut for its in-house engines developed by Red Bull Ford Powertrains. The team got off to a flying start with 107 laps on day one, and despite a crash on the rainy second day, the four-time world champion brought Red Bull's Spanish week to a close with a healthy 118 laps. The team leaves Barcelona with a solid haul of data, and its sister team, Racing Bulls, also chipped in with a similar amount of mileage.
McLaren
McLaren delayed its MCL40's debut to Wednesday, forcing the world champion squad into a busy program with three consecutive days of running. The team encountered a fuel system issue on the second day, which restricted Oscar Piastri to 48 laps, but both he and world champion Lando Norris enjoyed 80+ laps on Friday. McLaren did concede that it still had a lot of work ahead to get on top of the new power units, but there were no showstoppers encountered.
Williams
Williams' round-up of its Barcelona shakedown can be very short. The team didn't turn up, having pushed itself too hard and found itself adrift. Williams team boss James Vowles said the team could have made the shakedown week if its life depended on it, but that would have carried a spare parts risk for the early part of the season. Instead, Williams ramped up its virtual track testing program and simulator work.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin had to pull out all the stops to make it to Barcelona, but it did get there eventually. The team chartered an ancient propeller cargo plane to fly its car over on Wednesday, and Adrian Newey's first Aston Martin design for two-time world champion Fernando Alonso caught the eye of many observers. Aston worked throughout Thursday to get the AMR26 ready to go, and Lance Stroll had to park the car after just five laps before the end of the day, while Alonso had a more productive day on Friday by setting 61 laps.
Haas
Haas's shiny new VF-26 enjoyed a productive start to life on Monday but then disappeared into the garage for large spells of Wednesday due to reliability issues. The team required new parts to be flown in and fitted to the car overnight so it could run on Friday, which it accomplished with a solid day of running, with Oliver Bearman completing over 100 laps on Friday morning alone. Esteban Ocon continued a productive Friday in the afternoon, and 391 laps completed represents a job well done.
Audi
Audi's R26 power unit manufacturer did not have the smoothest runout in Barcelona out of the box. Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg were both restricted to fewer than 100 laps over the first two test days and caused several red flags. However, the team alluded to at least several gremlins being located on the power unit side, and the final day was much more productive, with Bortoleto and Hulkenberg combining for 148 laps to bring Audi's tally to a respectable 243 laps.
Alpine
Alpine was another outfit with a lot on its plate after ditching its Renault engines and welcoming a new power unit and gearbox supplier in the form of Mercedes. But fresh from its launch on an MSC cruiseliner on Friday, Alpine arrived at the Catalan capital with a spring in its step and quiet confidence its choice to sacrifice last season for 2026 was going to pay off. The team appears to be in an infinitely better place than it was 12 months ago, and that isn't all down to the power unit.
Cadillac
As F1's first startup team in a decade, Cadillac was always going to have a mountain to climb to even make it to Barcelona. And it did, making it out of the pits on Monday morning before Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez added more mileage to the car on Thursday and Friday. The team can look back on a successful week, benefitting from a good start for its Ferrari power plants. But the car's initial performance remains a big question mark.
