Hadjar Dominates Barcelona Testing Day 1 as Audi and Cadillac Face Early Setbacks

The 2026 Formula 1 season officially kicked off on Monday as seven teams took to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the opening day of pre-season testing. Red Bull’s new signing Isack Hadjar made an impressive debut, topping the unofficial timesheets while new entrants Audi and Cadillac encountered significant technical difficulties.

Hadjar Sets Early Benchmark for Red Bull

The 21-year-old Frenchman showcased his potential by posting the fastest time of the day with an unofficial lap of 1:18.159s, marking a strong start to his Red Bull career. Hadjar completed 107 laps in the new RB22, powered by Red Bull’s first fully in-house engine developed in collaboration with Ford.

The impressive lap time came after a steady morning session where Hadjar progressively improved his pace, eventually beating Mercedes driver George Russell by over half a second. The Red Bull team opted to run Hadjar throughout the entire day, with four-time world champion Max Verstappen observing from the sidelines.

Mercedes Shows Strong Form

Mercedes demonstrated why many consider them favorites for the new regulations era. The team accumulated 151 laps across both drivers, with Kimi Antonelli setting the early pace in the morning before George Russell took over for the afternoon session. Russell ended the day second fastest, just 0.537s behind Hadjar.

Antonelli’s initial running suggested strong reliability from the Mercedes W17, which benefits from the team’s proven hybrid expertise following the 2026 power unit overhaul.

Difficult Debut for Audi

Audi’s first official day as a Formula 1 works team was cut short by technical problems. Gabriel Bortoleto brought out a red flag approximately two and a half hours into the morning session when his R26 stopped at Turn 10.

Team principal Jonathan Wheatley confirmed the stoppage resulted from a technical issue that required immediate investigation. The German manufacturer managed only 27 laps throughout the entire day—significantly fewer than competitors. Wheatley stated the team decided to prioritize understanding the problem thoroughly rather than rushing back to the track.

Cadillac Struggles with Limited Mileage

The all-new 11th team on the grid faced its own challenges on debut day. Cadillac completed just 44 laps total, with drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez sharing duties. Perez’s afternoon session proved particularly difficult, with the Mexican driver managing only 11 laps.

Bottas acknowledged the difficulties after his morning stint, stating that getting consistent mileage and building a reliable package for the season opener would be the immediate priority. The team finished over six seconds off the pace—though testing times offer limited insight into true performance.

Strong Reliability from Haas and Alpine

Ferrari customer team Haas impressed with the day’s highest lap count. Esteban Ocon completed 154 laps in the VF-26—more than the equivalent of two full Barcelona race distances—providing valuable data for Ferrari’s new 2026 power unit.

Alpine, now running Mercedes engines, accumulated 60 laps with Franco Colapinto despite an early red flag caused by a sensor issue. The Argentine driver finished third on the unofficial timesheet.

Testing Continues Behind Closed Doors

The Barcelona test represents Formula 1’s first official running under the revolutionary 2026 regulations, which feature a complete overhaul of power units and aerodynamics. The test runs behind closed doors with no media access, though teams are permitted to share limited footage.

Ferrari and McLaren are scheduled to join the test on Tuesday, while Aston Martin’s Honda-powered car isn’t expected until Thursday at the earliest. Williams announced it would skip the entire Barcelona test to focus on maximizing car performance before the season begins.

Teams are allocated three days of running from the five-day test window, with two additional three-day tests scheduled for Bahrain in February before the season-opening race.