Red Bull Racing, Racing Bulls and Alpine are jumping ahead of the competition next week, putting their 2026 Formula 1 cars to the test in Barcelona starting Monday. Other teams will join throughout the five-day testing period, with each allowed three days on track.
McLaren won’t be there on day one. They’ll likely skip Tuesday too, with team boss Andrea Stella already confirming they want to run three consecutive days when weather conditions are better.
So when will we see the rest of the grid? Good luck finding out.
Teams are being surprisingly tight-lipped about their testing schedules. GPblog reached out to several, only to hit a wall of secrecy.
One team responded with remarkable bluntness: “The day we put a car on track will be our first day…”
The 2026 mind games have officially begun.
Why all the mystery? No team wants to clean up the track for their rivals without getting something in return. If Team X announces they’re running Monday, competitors might think, “Perfect – we’ll wait until they’ve laid down some rubber and improved conditions.”
But there’s an even bigger reason for the secrecy.
Teams are terrified their technical innovations will be spotted and copied. Everyone’s desperate to see what new ideas their rivals have developed under the fresh regulations.
We’ll likely see major differences between cars. The earlier you show your hand, the faster others can steal your best ideas and implement them.
So before a single lap has been completed, the psychological battle is already in full swing. That’s Formula 1 for you!
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