00:00Formula One is back. The next generation is here. Just seven weeks after Lando Norris crossed the
00:22line to clinch the 2025 Drivers' Championship, the wheels are turning once again, as Formula
00:27One rolls into a fresh season with a new generation of car. The new rules present a distinctly
00:33different car, smaller, lighter and a completely different aero package.
00:38The big news before the cars hit the track was that Williams would miss the Barcelona
00:42running, explaining that they are pursuing maximum car performance for 2026 and will
00:47instead conduct a series of tests, including a virtual track testing program with the 2026
00:53car to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain. Three other teams elected not to
00:58run on the first day in Barcelona, McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin, opting to give themselves
01:04more time before hitting the track. Mercedes with the first car on track in 2026, Kimi
01:10Antonelli at the wheel. The Italian starting his sophomore season at the sport's highest
01:16level, having taken three podiums on course tonight in the Drivers' Championship in 2025.
01:22The 19 year old completed a notable number of laps in the new W17 before handing over
01:27to George Russell for the afternoon session.
01:29It was a very interesting morning, very nice to be back in the car of course and it's a massive
01:35learning and we've been trying to tune the PU and the car and obviously this afternoon the
01:43car has improved a lot and it's a constant learning so the most important is trying to
01:49get the running, all the laps, as many laps as possible and in order to tune the PU and
01:57the car in the best way as possible.
01:58Russell recently stated he feels ready to fight for a title in 2026. The Briton having
02:04claimed two wins and nine podiums en route to fourth in the Drivers' Championship last
02:09season and with positive sentiments around their new power unit, the Silver Arrows will
02:14be one to watch as they look to claim their first Drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton in
02:192020, a positive day for the Brackley-based squad who built on their 200km of running at Silverstone
02:25last week.
02:27Max Verstappen narrowly missed out on his fifth consecutive Drivers' Championship at the end
02:31of last season, the Dutchman ending the year just two points shy of Norris by season's
02:36end. There are big changes within the team ahead of the 2026 season. The new Red Bull
02:41Ford Powertrains partnership took to the track for the first time and the arrival of Isaac
02:46Hadjar from Racing Vols will give the Milton Keynes outfit hope of a promising season ahead.
02:51The Frenchman took the wheel for the first day of running in Barcelona and clocked up an impressive
02:56amount of laps in the new RB22.
03:03Red Bull's sister team Racing Vols will also run the Red Bull Ford Powertrain in 2026. And with Hadjar's promotion to Red Bull, the Italian team will be the best for the first day of the year.
03:09It was definitely smooth.
03:10Red Bull's sister team Racing Vols will also run the Red Bull Ford Powertrain in 2026. And with Hadjar's promotion to Red Bull, the Italian team opted to promote Arvid Lindblad from Formula 2 at just 18 years of age.
03:30Lindblad's promotion means there are now five Britons on the grid, the most since 1996. Alongside him will be Liam Lawson, whose solid end to the season earned him a second full-time seat in Formula One.
03:44The Kiwi completed significant laps in the morning session and admitted the new cars are very different to last year's challenges.
03:51I definitely haven't got my head around it fully yet. It's something that we'll keep learning over the next few days and weeks when we go to Bahrain as well.
03:58But yeah, it's very, very different. You have to be probably a lot more. It feels like there's a lot more we can do as drivers potentially to make a difference, which is good.
04:08But right now it's very early days. So it's it's very hard to know where we are. But for now, just trying to learn how to optimize the car.
04:16Haas struggled for consistency throughout 2025, but several promising results towards the end of the season gives the American team hope heading in to the new generation.
04:25Oli Behrmann outscored Esteban Ocon in his rookie season and took many plaudits with a spectacular P4 finish in Mexico.
04:32Ocon was in the driving seat for the first day and impressed with an extensive number of laps in the morning.
04:37The Frenchman complimentary of Haas' efforts so far. Yeah, from Fiorano testing with Oli to here, there's been, you know, people have climbed mountains really to make this car work.
04:49And it's been it's been really good. So, you know, we are dealing with the plan, learning as it goes.
04:54I think so far is going really well. And yeah, we will keep pushing to make sure that all the details are covered.
05:00But we have more days than normal, which is a good thing.
05:03And with big changes to the cars this season, Haas team principal Ayo Komatsu reiterated the importance of strong teamwork as they look to maximize the performance of their VF26.
05:14Teamwork is even more important now. So really engineers and drivers working together, which is what this sport is all about.
05:20But it's a huge challenge. So I think you will see lots of evolution, you know, throughout the testing throughout the season, which will be interesting for everyone, I think.
05:29Haas ended the day with a notable number of laps completing over two race distances, a strong start for the American team.
05:36Audi makes its debut at the highest level of motorsport, having taken over from Sauber at the end of 2025.
05:43The German team will also run their own power unit. The Audi AFR 26 hybrid marks a significant change for the outfit, having used Ferrari power units since 2010.
05:53The team stick with their 2025 lineup. British Grand Prix podium finisher Nico Hülkenberg is again joined by 2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, a strong lineup for Audi's debut season.
06:05Brazilian Bortoleto was the first to experience the new R26 and put in solid running throughout the morning.
06:11Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley is excited to see where Audi fall in the running order after such a large regulation change.
06:20You've got this tremendous technical challenge, haven't you? You've got all sorts of development, new PU, new gearbox, new chassis, new aerodynamics.
06:28Which area is going to give you the most performance? Where should you be focusing your money?
06:33And I think it's going to be a fascinating year for seeing who develops what, where, when and when they introduce it.
06:39Despite a tricky 2025, Alpine will be full of hope heading into this generation of Formula One.
06:45The Enstone based squad make the switch to Mercedes power units this season and they stick with their 2025 lineup.
06:51Pierre Gasly and Franco Colopinto. And it was the Argentine driver who tackled the first day on track.
06:57The Alpine man was able to complete a solid amount of laps before day's end and was excited for the season ahead.
07:02I'm very happy to be, you know, in my first pro season with a new car, a new regulation.
07:08So the cars are very different, there is big changes and that's always very exciting.
07:13The team has done a very good job in bringing the car here to this test.
07:17It's been, you know, very tight for everyone and the boys and girls in Enstone, they did a very big effort.
07:23And yeah, we are all very grateful for it and, you know, happy to start to work with this new car.
07:28Formula One welcomes Cadillac to the grid for 2026.
07:32The American manufacturer becoming the 11th team in the sport and the first new team since Haas in 2016.
07:38The new squad debuted with an experienced lineup, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez at the wheel for Cadillac's debut season.
07:45With 16 race wins and 106 podiums between them, the duo's vast experience will be key in developing the car's performance throughout the year.
07:53The team will run Ferrari power units while they develop their own ahead of the 2029 season.
07:59With Perez having already given the car a shakedown at Silverstone in mid-January, it was Bottas who experienced Barcelona first.
08:06The experienced Finn happy to be back in the driver's seat, having been the Mercedes reserve driver in 2025.
08:12It's great to be back and also with this brand new team in the sport.
08:16It's really, really unique situation and yeah, really enjoyed getting back on track.
08:22This was the first time I drove this car so it's just good to be out there.
08:27Obviously performance wise I wouldn't say much yet but the main thing is we got some running done.
08:32At the end we got a little bit longer run as well in so these are the first steps of debugging and getting everything to work better.
08:41Day one of Barcelona shakedown complete.
08:44Seven teams took to the track with lots of valuable mileage and data collected.
08:49But with four more days of shakedown to come, there is still plenty to learn ahead of the Bahrain pre-season test next month.
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