Overview
- Seven teams ran on day one at Barcelona — Mercedes, Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Haas, Alpine, Audi and new entrant Cadillac — with McLaren and Ferrari due to start on Tuesday, Aston Martin targeting Thursday and Friday, and Williams absent.
- Unofficial reports placed Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar fastest with a 1:18.159, narrowly ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, as live timing was restricted and teams controlled disclosures.
- Mercedes logged extensive mileage with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell and reported a productive, reliable first day with encouraging power-unit driveability.
- Cadillac completed its first on‑track running as F1’s 11th team with Valtteri Bottas in the morning and Sergio Perez in the afternoon, while early stoppages for Alpine and Audi punctuated a day in which Haas’s Esteban Ocon completed 154 laps.
- Drivers said the 2026 cars feel quicker on straights and slower in corners with more predictable handling and greater electric torque, though cockpit management and energy deployment are more complex.