Hadjar Crashes in Barcelona as Rain Limits Day 2 Testing to Ferrari and Red Bull Only

The second day of Formula 1’s 2026 pre-season testing in Barcelona was dramatically reduced to just two teams as persistent rain kept most squads in their garages. Red Bull and Ferrari were the only teams to brave the conditions—but Red Bull’s day ended prematurely when Isack Hadjar crashed heavily into the barriers in the final hour of running.

Limited Running as Rain Dominates Barcelona

Only Ferrari and Red Bull opted to participate on Tuesday’s second day of the five-day private Barcelona shakedown test. Teams are permitted to run on any three of the five available days, and the forecast of rain throughout the day convinced Mercedes, Haas, Racing Bulls, Audi, Cadillac, and Alpine to remain in their garages. World champions McLaren further delayed their test debut until Wednesday.

The day began in dry conditions, with Charles Leclerc taking Ferrari’s SF-26 out for the team’s first official appearance of the test. Max Verstappen joined him shortly after, making his debut in the new Red Bull RB22 after teammate Hadjar had completed the entire opening day on Monday.

Verstappen and Leclerc Set Early Pace

Before rain arrived around 10:40 am local time, both Verstappen and Leclerc managed to complete valuable dry running. Unofficial sources indicated Verstappen set the fastest time of the day with a lap of 1:19.578s—approximately 1.3 seconds quicker than Leclerc’s best effort of 1:20.844s.

Verstappen’s morning wasn’t entirely smooth, however. The four-time world champion briefly triggered a red flag when he went off-track at Turn 5 on an outlap, running through the gravel. He was able to continue without damage, and the session resumed after a brief pause.

Rain Forces Switch to Wet Weather Running

As conditions deteriorated, both teams switched to intermediate and full wet weather tires. Leclerc managed to complete his full planned program despite the challenging conditions, accumulating 64 laps throughout the morning session. Verstappen completed 27 laps before handing the car over to Hadjar after lunch.

Ferrari also made a driver change at the lunch break, with Lewis Hamilton taking over from Leclerc for his first laps in the SF-26. Hamilton completed 57 laps in the afternoon session.

Hadjar’s Crash Ends Red Bull’s Day Early

The day took a dramatic turn approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled 6:00 pm finish when Hadjar lost control of the RB22 at Turn 14—the fast right-hander leading onto the main straight. The Frenchman spun and hit the barriers backwards, causing significant damage to the car’s rear wing and suspension.

Footage circulated on social media showed the Red Bull embedded in the TecPro barriers, effectively ending the team’s running for the day. Hadjar had completed 51 laps before the incident. Red Bull quickly confirmed via social media that Hadjar had exited the car immediately and was unharmed.

It remains unclear whether the crash resulted from driver error or a mechanical issue. Eyewitnesses reported Hadjar may have been on his first lap with a fresh set of intermediate tires having just switched from full wet weather rubber when the incident occurred.

Ferrari Completes Successful First Day

Despite the challenging weather conditions, Ferrari expressed satisfaction with their opening day of running. Leclerc confirmed the team was able to complete its full program, focusing on verifying that all systems were functioning correctly rather than pursuing outright performance.

The Monegasque driver told media at the track that Ferrari’s priority was ensuring the new 2026 car’s systems were operational. He noted that while the rainy conditions weren’t ideal, the team achieved its objectives for the day.

Hamilton’s afternoon session provided valuable familiarization time with his new team, though specific details of his running remained limited due to the test’s private nature.

Testing Schedule Moving Forward

The Barcelona test continues through Friday, with teams having already used two of their three allocated days if they participated in both Monday’s and Tuesday’s sessions. The weather forecast suggests continued wet conditions are possible for the remainder of the week.

McLaren has confirmed it will begin its test program on Wednesday, while Aston Martin is not expected to appear until Thursday at the earliest. Williams is skipping the entire Barcelona test to focus on car development at its factory.

Following the Barcelona shakedown, teams will have two additional three-day pre-season tests in Bahrain during February before the 2026 season opens.