Because it is a private event, there is very limited access to knowledge about what is happening behind-closed-doors at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week. There are no live TV broadcasts of the on-track action, while no reporters or photographers other than those working for the teams themselves or for Formula1.com have been accredited. A heightened security presence in the areas around the track is attempting to ensure that those few who have travelled to Barcelona in hope of getting themselves a good vantage point nearby are disappointed.
Regardless, it is virtually impossible to completely stem the flow of information in the modern world and, inevitably, tidbits of information have come out beyond the heavily curated feed of images and phone-captured video being published on the official social media accounts of Formula 1, the circuit and the teams.
We learned from one such clip that Mercedes were the first out on track, closely followed by F1 newcomers Audi, who have taken over the team previously known as Sauber. The former used their preparedness to good effect, with Kimi Antonelli topping the timesheets in the first couple of hours of running. Alpine were the third team to send a car out of the garage.
And the 2026 Shakedown is under way… ??????
Three teams waste no time in taking to the track!#F1 pic.twitter.com/nGNiHns8cs
After a wet start, the circuit began to dry up with more cars on track helping to clear any standing water. That opened the door for Red Bull to push a bit more while Antonelli remained in the garage, moving to the top of the timesheets with a 1:20.300 lap time. Curiously, and surprisingly, Max Verstappen was not given priority with new team-mate Isack Hadjar the one behind the wheel.
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That lap came after two separate stoppages for cars coming to a halt on track. The first red flag of 2026 came courtesy of Franco Colapinto, who had to be recovered when his Alpine stopped mid-lap. That caused only a minor delay, though there was a second, longer red flag period of around 15 minutes to come when Gabriel Bortoleto also suffered a break-down in his Audi.
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Lap times are almost wholly irrelevant at this point, with teams trying lots of different run plans and car set-ups and performance very much only a secondary concern after reliability. That is particularly important for newcomers Cadillac who, of the seven teams running on day one of the test, were the slowest by some margin in the first half of the day’s running.
The seven teams taking part in the test on Monday were: Alpine, Audi, Cadillac, Haas, Mercedes, Racing Bulls and Red Bull. McLaren and Ferrari are present in Barcelona but have already publicly confirmed they would not be putting a car on track until Tuesday at the earliest. Aston Martin have also delayed their shakedown debut amid rumours they might be behind in their development. Williams have already confirmed they will miss the whole of shakedown week, amid “delays” in their own project.
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