Formula 1 News: Hadjar tops Unofficial testing times at Barcelona – Day 1

The 2026 Formula 1 season kicked off with a private shakedown test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, marking the first on-track action for the new era of regulations. Isack Hadjar (pictured) was quickest in the Red Bull RB22.  This behind-closed-doors session, devoid of official timings, live coverage, or media access, served as a crucial “debugging” day for teams to iron out initial issues with their revamped cars.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Only seven of the 11 teams participated on Monday, with McLaren and Ferrari opting to skip the opening day, Williams sidelined entirely due to delays in completing their FW48, and Aston Martin planning to join no earlier than Thursday—potentially costing them at least one full day of running.

Nine drivers took to the track, representing Red Bull, Mercedes, Alpine, Haas, Racing Bulls, Cadillac, and Audi. Unofficial times, collated from various sources, placed Red Bull’s young talent Isack Hadjar at the top of the charts with a benchmark lap of 1:18.159 over 107 laps in the RBPT-powered RB22. Mercedes’ George Russell followed closely in second, posting a 1:18.696 (+0.537s) across 93 laps, while his teammate Kimi Antonelli handled the morning session and ended fourth with a 1:20.700 (+2.541s) after 56 laps. The two teams traded fastest laps throughout the day, showcasing early promise in reliability and pace.

Further down the order, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto secured third with a 1:20.189 (+2.030s) over 60 laps, ahead of Haas’ Esteban Ocon in fifth at 1:21.301 (+3.142s)—notably completing the highest lap count of the day at 154, emphasizing the team’s focus on mileage and data gathering. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson placed sixth with a 1:21.513 (+3.354s) and 88 laps, while Cadillac’s duo of Valtteri Bottas (seventh, 1:24.651, +6.492s, 33 laps) and Sergio Perez (ninth, 1:25.974, +7.815s, 11 laps) rounded out the lower end, hampered by minor electrical and sensor glitches. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto finished eighth at 1:25.296 (+7.137s) with just 27 laps, limited by a technical issue that triggered a red flag in the morning.

Isack Hadjar on his first day in the RB22: “It was pretty productive. Surprisingly, we managed to do a lot more laps than we expected. Everything went pretty smooth. We had like only minor issues so it’s quite impressive considering it’s our first day with our own engine.

“Surprisingly, we managed to do a lot more laps than we expected. Everything went pretty smooth. We had only minor issues, so it’s quite impressive, considering it’s our first day with our own engine. It was definitely smooth. It’s definitely a lot less load in general. It’s a bit more predictable compared to the previous generation of cars. They are more simple. It’s easier to play around with them. And also on the PU side, there’s a lot more options for the driver to play with. I already started to work on it today, so that was very interesting.”

The session was far from smooth, with at least three red flags interrupting proceedings—two stemming from stoppages involving Colapinto and Bortoleto. Bottas, making his debut in Cadillac’s all-black livery, candidly described the day as one of widespread teething problems: “Every team had issues today. It’s debugging, and we need more laps to build reliability.” Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu echoed this sentiment, highlighting the value in uncovering issues early: “We focused on data collection and solving problems—it’s a solid start.”

Overall, the day underscored the challenges of the new 2026 ruleset, with teams prioritizing system checks over outright speed. Red Bull and Mercedes emerged as early frontrunners in consistency, while others like Haas maximized track time amid the inevitable gremlins. As testing continues, expect more insights into the pecking order ahead of the season opener.

Unofficial Day 1 Times