Everything you need to know about the Barcelona F1 shakedown

The anxiety that comes with a new Formula 1 season is always real, but heading into 2026 it feels especially palpable. A sweeping set of technical regulations, new power units, revised aerodynamics and a reshaped competitive landscape have left teams, drivers and fans peering into the unknown.

Before the spotlight swings to Bahrain and then Melbourne, the first clues about who has interpreted the rules best will emerge quietly, behind closed doors, in Barcelona. The F1 shakedown is scheduled to take place in late January at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and serves as the first collective on-track outing for the new generation of cars. Drivers will get a chance to test equipment from Monday to Wednesday.

Unlike traditional pre-season testing, this is not about chasing lap times or making bold statements. It is a controlled, low-key environment designed to allow teams to validate systems, check reliability and ensure their cars fundamentally work as intended. Each team is limited in how much running it can complete, making every lap valuable in an era where mileage is tightly regulated.

The shakedown exists because 2026 is not a normal reset. Formula 1 is introducing radically different cars built around new aerodynamic concepts and a rebalanced power unit split, with a much greater emphasis on electrical energy and fully sustainable fuels. Barcelona offers teams a chance to spot early issues before the more intensive and public testing programme begins in Bahrain in February.

At the sharp end of the grid, approaches vary. Ferrari are expected to ease into the week rather than attack it head-on, focusing initially on correlation work and system checks rather than headline numbers.

There is particular interest in Maranello given the presence of Lewis Hamilton, who enters 2026 speaking with renewed optimism about the project he has joined.

Hamilton has spoken about being energised by the scale of the regulation change and the opportunity it presents to “reset the table,” stressing that early testing is about learning, not judging success or failure. For Ferrari, Barcelona is about laying foundations, not chasing comparisons.

Red Bull, meanwhile, arrive with arguably the most pressure of any top team. For the first time in the modern era, they are fully committed to their own in-house power unit project alongside the new chassis regulations.

That makes the Barcelona shakedown especially significant. Expect Red Bull to spend plenty of time in the garage, running methodical programmes aimed at understanding cooling, deployment systems and reliability rather than long runs. Inside the camp, the message has been clear: early headaches are expected, and solving them now matters far more than how the timing screens look.

Mercedes and McLaren are also likely to take a cautious approach, while midfield teams will see Barcelona as a rare chance to establish a baseline before development races ahead. Not every team is guaranteed to run from day one, and some may even skip the shakedown entirely if cars are not ready, underlining how tight the timelines are.

Williams will miss the shakedown as the team try to "extract more performance". Though the team has already put out a statement ahead of Barcelona, fans and pundits predict there is more happening behind the scenes.

As the cars roll out in Spain, there are several key things to watch. Reliability will be the biggest indicator of progress, especially with the new power units. How smoothly teams cycle through their programmes, how often cars stop on track and how much time is spent in the garage will all tell a story.

Driver feedback, particularly around drivability and energy deployment, will also be crucial, even if it stays largely behind the scenes.

Barcelona will not crown a favourite, but it will shape the narrative. In a season defined by uncertainty, this quiet shakedown is where the first truths of 2026 begin to surface.