2026 F1 Preseason

[donthaveanickname]

F1's new era will commence tomorrow with pre-season testing at Barcelona. Testing will take place Monday through Friday with teams being allowed to run on three of the five days. The Barcelona test will be held behind closed doors.
Further testing will take place in Bahrain next month.

I'm really kinda stoked for the new season and part of the reason for that is that these cars look great. Some teams have already conducted shakedowns and these cars look at bit like the early 2000s. Incredibly clean but bot as ****** huge as the ground effect cars.

 

[Doc Austin]

 

[Reagan]

Here is a recap of what happened on day 1 of testing in Barcelona.

What happened on Day 1 of the Barcelona Shakedown?

Following the opening day of the Barcelona Shakedown, F1.com has the lowdown on which teams ran and what the drivers said after their early laps in the 2026 cars.

www.formula1.com

 

[donthaveanickname]

Some early signs of trouble: Williams will skip the Barcelona test and Aston won't hit the track before Thursday.

 

[Doc Austin]

All the teams had next to zero reliability problem, so Williams will probably be ok.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

Any idea why I regularly look at a thread for a series I plan to not follow or watch? I don't do it for any other series. Maybe to see where Indy or IMSA drivers come from?

Beats me. It's like a scab I keep picking

 

[Doc Austin]

Three days in the book with great reliability for everyone. Everybody seems happy with the new cars.

https://racer.com/2026/01/28/mercedes-proving-quick-and-reliable-while-mclaren-also-debuts-strongly-in-barcelona

 

[Greg]

Any idea why I regularly look at a thread for a series I plan to not follow or watch? I don't do it for any other series. Maybe to see where Indy or IMSA drivers come from?

Beats me. It's like a scab I keep picking

It is an internet thing....

 

[Charlie Spencer]

It is an internet thing....

No, I've seen those and I know why I look at them.

 

[Doc Austin]

Any idea why I regularly look at a thread for a series I plan to not follow or watch? I

Maybe you would enjoy it if you watched. So far, the cars look good and everyone is all smiles. It could be really good.

 

[FLRacingFan]

Norris said it feels slower in terms of cornering speeds and quicker in terms of acceleration and straightaway speed right now, so that sounds promising. I’m still skeptical of the weight and dimensions of the car not being radically different enough to make real wheel-to-wheel racing easier and more plentiful, since the cars are still historically heavy and large relative to anything prior to 2022. But any progress is good progress, and they seem to be hitting the marks on less downforce and drag.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

Maybe you would enjoy it if you watched. So far, the cars look good and everyone is all smiles. It could be really good.

I watched one race last fall and enjoyed it. I thought about following F1 this year. Then the Apple deal was announced and I immediately discarded that idea. I'll pay less than $10 monthly for Peacock to watch IMSA and so Darling Bride can catch some of the LPGA tournaments. I'm not paying Apple $14 for a series that has never caught with me on my previous attempts, on a service that has nothing else for me.

 

[Doc Austin]

I thought about following F1 this year. Then the Apple deal was announced and I immediately discarded that idea.

Yeah, I'm not buying it either. I pay enough already.

I'm not paying Apple $14 for a series that has never caught with me on my previous attempts, on a service that has nothing else for me.

I'm just going to catch the highlight packages on YouTube.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

Yeah, I'm not buying it either. I pay enough already

I'm sure I could find room for it in the budget but another factor is that I spend enough time in front of the tube already. $14 is a monthly bird trip within a one-hour radius, with Hardee's biscuits on the way.