The 2026 Formula 1 season will see the playing field increased to 11 teams, with Cadillac becoming the first new team on the grid since Haas in 2016 and Audi entering the sport for the first time after purchasing the existing Sauber in 2024. These two new teams are keen to make some noise this year, but the Formula 1 2026 odds don’t have high expectations for them, especially after what happened recently in the Barcelona Shakedown.
Cadillac and Audi experienced issues with their machines during pre-season testing, drawing valid reactions from their drivers. But at least they can take solace in the fact that they’re not the only ones who experienced this.
Elsewhere, McLaren have yet to partake in any pre-season testing sessions, raising eyebrows, although the defending champions shared their side of the story.
Without further ado, here are some of the notable Formula 1 2026 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Audi’s Barcelona testing hit a serious snag
Following the unveiling of the R26, Audi participated in the shakedown week in Barcelona, where they had the chance to test their new machine. Unfortunately for them, they suffered their first setback right away, causing a red flag in the opening session.
Gabriel Bortoleto was completing his first laps in the new R26 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya when he came to a stop in the middle of the track at the apex of Turn 10. It was revealed that the car stopped due to a “technical issue” that the team is investigating. Audi didn’t exactly elaborate on what happened to Bortoleto’s machine.
Despite this, Bortoleto cut a positive figure after leaving the track. According to the Brazilian, he would rather experience problems right now in pre-season testing than in the actual races at the start of the new campaign, which will commence around March.
Bortoleto had a rough start to his Formula 1 career, as he finished at the bottom of the drivers’ standings in his first full season. The 21-year-old had as many points finishes as DNFs (five), accumulating a grand total of 19 points. On the other hand, teammate Nico Hulkenberg was 11th with 51 points, which included a shocking P3 finish in Silverstone.
Cadillac off to an uneven start
According to reports, Cadillac have already managed to get their new car on track even before the Barcelona Shakedown, and rumours suggest that the Ferrari-powered machine looks far from a finished product.
Cadillac allegedly failed to complete a 200km run during a filming day at Silverstone, and their struggles persisted in Barcelona, as Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez completed only 44 laps – the second-lowest mark on the first day of testing. Perez was also last of the runners, as he finished almost eight seconds down on pacesetter Isack Hadjar.
“It’s always challenging when there is a massive rule changing, to get laps in is the main objective. So, yeah, I mean, we’re just getting some laps on the board, which was promising. We have, I’ll say, a lot of issues today, which is good, it’s our first day, so it’s been positive in that regard,” Perez explained. “You want all the problems to come now, and hopefully the next couple of days can be a lot smoother for us.”
Bottas doubled down on Perez’s take, and the Finnish international has cooled concerns by staying even-keeled about it. Overall, Cadillac face a steep learning curve in their preparations for their debut campaign.
“Like I said, it’s de-bugging. That’s why we’re here. It seems like every team had some issues. So yeah, it’s just now really figuring those out and then getting more and more running each day. But like I said, just great to be here and in the car,” Bottas stated.
McLaren confirm their delayed test
McLaren are among those who have yet to participate in pre-season testing. After confirming they would not partake in the opening day of the Barcelona Shakedown, the Papayas were supposed to do so on the second day, but the weather forecast had other plans. Instead, the earliest McLaren would participate in the tests is on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Aston Martin will also miss a chunk of the Barcelona Shakedown, as they won’t run their new car before Thursday at the earliest. Williams will miss the entire pre-season testing event entirely.
The Barcelona Shakedown is a closed-door testing event for all Formula 1 teams. Timings aren’t officially being published, as the teams are primarily focused on reliability and systems checks with their latest cars amid the biggest technical rule change in the sport’s history.
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