2026 Season Preview

Mercedes doing what Mercedes seem to do, pound in the laps and are quick.

It appears Lance has stopped on track and caused the first red flag of the day.

Aston have released the first super detailed and totally not on purpose photo too:


Looks very aggressive, from what my squinting eyes can see :cry:

Prepare for the 100+ analysis videos from YouTubers and media types trying to disect it.
 
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The Aston design does look like a bit of a departure from the rest of the field/a more radical design.

Who knows if it will translate into a fast car though!
 
Well that's a wrap for the 5 day Barcelona shakedown. I rather think all the teams will be happy at the way it's gone, certainly far from the shenanigans of 2014 with remarkable reliability from them all. Ford and Red Bull should be patting themselves on theirs backs.
Looking forward now to the actually tests at Bahrain on February 11-13th & 18-20th...

Hamilton's unofficial lap time today makes him the fastest of the five days.
 
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Haven’t followed testing much because it’s usually a load of speculation that ends up being completely wrong, but I tend to find consistency and lap times near the top often bode well for a team.

Merc engine looks to be the best with Merc themselves looking in great form and McLaren close behind. RB top of the new engine manufacturer teams, but they have more experience and more to build from.

I like that the cars are smaller too.
 
Interesting first week but realistically until Qualifying is done in Melbourne I don't think we really know a lot - we've seen it before in testing - the cars that lineup even week 2 in Bahrain testing will have so much stuff added between then and the first race as teams race to add new parts.
 
Reviews of the Barcelona shakedown:
www.formula1.com

What we learned from the Barcelona Shakedown

As the dust settles on the Barcelona Shakedown, F1.com's Lawrence Barretto has the lowdown on what happened at the event.
www.formula1.com www.formula1.com
www.skysports.com

F1 testing: Five takeaways from first week of all-new 2026 cars on track featuring Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Aston Martin

Long-time 2026 favourites Mercedes quickly catch the eye before Ferrari finish with a flourish; impressive reliable debut for Red Bulls first engine; watch every round of the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8
www.skysports.com www.skysports.com
www.formula1.com

What the teams said after the Barcelona Shakedown

The drivers and teams report back following the Barcelona Shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
www.formula1.com www.formula1.com
 
Just looking at the odds for the title and I'm quite surprised..

Russell 7/4
Verstappen 7/2
Alonso 7/1
Norris 7/1
Antonelli 9/1
Piastri 12/1
Leclerc 14/1
Hamilton 16/1
100/1+ for anyone else.

Constructors:
Mercedes 1/1
McLaren 2/1
Ferrari 6/1
Red Bull 10/1
Aston Martin 12/1
Alpine 40/1
Audi 66/1
Williams 66/1
Haas 200/1
RB 250/1
Cadillac 500/1

Alonso? Really? Be interesting to see how this changes come testing time.
 
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