By now, all teams have launched some version of the car they’ll be racing with in 2026. They have taken these cars and attempted to put them through their paces at a private shakedown test in Spain last week.
It was so top secret that several fans and journalists were moved away from the circuit and threatened with fines should they be found loitering nearby. Still, this is 2026, and people will always find some way to get sneaky shots and undercover videos. And they did. There are some minor, ‘official’ snippets making the rounds, and one of the most noticeable changes is the sound of the cars, or rather, the volume. For years, fans who have experienced the ear-piercing symphony of V8 and even V10 F1 engines have bemoaned the decidedly dampened sound of the hybrid engine. Fear not, the volume has increased, and it sounds pretty darn good. It’s not the high-pitched, goosebump-inducing wail of the past, but it is better than what has been around since 2014.
Have a listen to the Honda F1 engine and decide for yourself > HERE
The other most glaring observation is the missing Williams. No, the car wasn’t stolen. It just wasn’t ready for the test. It is a shocking and frankly surprising development given that Williams shifted their complete focus to the 2026 car very early on. Nevertheless, rumours are swirling, as they are expected to in F1, that the car might be 20 – 30 kgs overweight and that it has failed several crash tests. Others suggest that the reason for Williams’s absence was strategic. There are some who are surmising that Williams’s non-attendance in Spain has effectively given them two extra days of development time. It certainly isn’t an outlandish theory. But from an optics point of view, it’s not a good look for Williams.
A car that caught everyone’s eye is the Aston Martin. Decidedly extreme in its design, it raised many eyebrows, especially around the rear bodywork of the car and its rear-suspension. Some are calling it ‘revolutionary’, and it might well be. But let’s also practice some caution. The last time eyeballs popped out of the sockets was when Mercedes debuted the zero-sidepods. And as history shows, it was a complete disaster. But here is hoping that Adrian Newey’s latest design is one that makes the team genuinely competitive. After all, who doesn’t want to see another team in the mix for wins and maybe even a title or two?
Another standout from the two days of running was reliability. The last time, in 2014, that F1 introduced completely new power units, reliability was so poor that there were genuine fears that there wouldn’t be enough cars to finish the first race of the season. There is no such fear in 2026 as teams turned in hundreds of laps over the few days. Mercedes completed the most laps with 500, just ahead of Ferrari with 440. Red Bull ran 303 laps with McLaren completing 291. Of the new teams, Audi completed 244 with Cadillac on 164. It’s an impressive achievement given that these are completely new units. Yes, they would have been run on dynos and in a few filming days. But it’s far cry from pounding around a track lap after lap without any serious reliability concern.
There was also a noticeable increase in top speed. The start/finish straight of the Circuit de Catalunya isn’t the longest but speeds of 350 kph were reached. This will be an especially interesting area to keep an eye on as the cars are developed throughout the season.
The first ‘official’ test ahead of the 2026 season starts on 11 February in Bahrain, ahead of the season-opening race on the 8th of March.
