When is every team running in first F1 2026 test and why Williams are missing

The primary of three F1 pre-season exams kick off in Barcelona subsequent week. Right here’s every thing you might want to learn about it.

On account of the most important regulation shake-up in latest F1 historical past, three pre-season exams will happen earlier than the opening spherical in Australia on 8 March.

The primary of those is a collective shakedown on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.

The primary take a look at will run between 26-30 January and be held in personal to allow groups and drivers to become familiar with their all-new F1 vehicles away from prying eyes and scrutiny of followers and the world’s media.

All 11 F1 groups are allowed three days of operating out of the five-day window.

Right here’s what we all know to date about which groups will run when…

Williams – Lacking complete take a look at

Williams introduced on Friday that they won’t participate within the opening week of testing at Barcelona after encountering delays with the event of their FW48 automobile.

The choice means Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz won’t get to drive Williams’ 2026 automobile till the primary official pre-season take a look at in Bahrain on 11-13 February.

“Williams F1 Workforce has taken the choice to not take part in subsequent week’s shakedown take a look at in Barcelona following delays within the FW48 programme as we proceed to push for optimum automobile efficiency,” a press release from the Grove-based outfit learn.

“The workforce will as an alternative conduct a collection of exams together with a VTT [Virtual Test Track] programme subsequent week with the 2026 automobile to arrange for the primary official take a look at in Bahrain and the primary race of the season in Melbourne.

“We’re wanting ahead to getting on monitor within the coming weeks and need to thank all our followers on your continued assist – there’s a lot to sit up for collectively in 2026.”

The numerous blow to Williams’ 2026 preparations is paying homage to when the workforce’s automobile was late to pre-season testing again in 2019. Again then Williams had been in monetary strife however fortunately issues have since modified below the possession of Dorilton Capital.

McLaren – To affix on day two or three

McLaren will miss at least the primary day of operating in Barcelona, and will even delay operating their 2026 F1 automobile till the third day of motion.

Workforce principal Andrea Stella defined the choice was strategic and geared toward maximising the event of the MCL40

“This was all the time going to be plan A,” Stella instructed media together with Crash.web. “There’s a lot of a change that we do not have to be essentially the primary on monitor.

“We needed to provide as a lot time as potential for improvement, as a result of day-after-day of improvement, day-after-day of design, was including somewhat little bit of efficiency.

“If you’re early on monitor, you should have the reassurance of understanding what you might want to know as quickly as potential.

“However on the similar time, it means you may need dedicated to the design and the realisation of the automobile comparatively early, so you should have compromised in opposition to improvement time and supreme efficiency.

“Clearly there will likely be updates just about for each automobile between testing and the primary race. However we thought that, within the financial system of a season, it was vital to begin and launch the automobile in essentially the most aggressive bundle and configuration.

“That is why we pushed all of the timing to the restrict, however inside a really manageable restrict. We did not really feel any urge to plan for testing on day one.”

Ferrari – To affix on day two

Ferrari will be a part of McLaren in skipping the opening day of the shakedown.

The Italian outfit are set to affix the take a look at on day two and in addition plan to run their 2026 automobile on Thursday, the penultimate day.

Ferrari are but to resolve whether or not to finish their third day of permitted operating on Wednesday or Friday.

Talking after the revealing of their SF-26 challenger at Fiorano on Friday, Ferrari workforce principal Fred Vasseur confirmed: “We’ll begin the take a look at on Tuesday after which with the regulation we resolve which days we run from Thursday however Thursday will even be on monitor.

“With this new regulation will probably be all about enchancment, studying course of, improvement and this is the reason we’re in love with F1.”

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc shook down the SF-26 at Fiorano on Friday. 

Audi – To begin on day one

Audi intend to be able to roll out of their storage at 9am on the primary day of the Barcelona take a look at.

This comes after they had been the primary F1 workforce to conduct a shakedown take a look at once they ran their R26 at Barcelona on 9 January.

Explaining the choice to get out of the blocks early, Audi technical director James Key mentioned: “This was a choice made about 18 months in the past, so we sort of knew this was coming.

“It wasn’t a final minute factor. However no, we needed to – as one in all solely two new guys on the block with this – you actually do want a monitor reference. And we agreed with our energy unit colleagues that we attempt to hit the monitor as rapidly as we are able to.”

The remainder of the groups are but to announce which days they are going to run on, however Cadillac, Racing Bulls, Alpine and Mercedes have already carried out a shakedown with their new vehicles.