Image: from FirstLap F1 X@firstlapf1
By Open Chronicle Sports Desk
BARCELONA, Spain — The 2026 Formula 1 era officially hit the track on Monday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, marked by a dominant display from Red Bull debutant Isack Hadjar. In a session shrouded in relative secrecy due to a “closed-door” policy, unofficial timing suggests the Frenchman finished the day at the top of the leaderboard, signaling a strong start for the RB22.
Hadjar, making his first full appearance for the senior Red Bull squad, clocked a best lap of 1:18.159 during the afternoon session. He edged out Mercedes’ George Russell, who took over from teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the afternoon stint and finished just over half a second adrift.
⏱️ Resultados sesión de tarde test pretemporada de Barcelona día 1
🥇 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
🥈 George Russell (Mercedes)
🥉 Franco Colapinto (Alpine)#F1 #F1Testing 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/OQ7Yhj7bQr
— FirstLap F1 ⚫ (@firstlapf1) January 26, 2026
Testing Highlights: Reliability and New Faces
The first day of the “Barcelona Shakedown” was less about outright speed and more about validating the radical 2026 technical regulations, which feature smaller, lighter cars and all-new power units.
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Red Bull Dominance: Hadjar’s pace was the talking point of the paddock. Not only did he set the fastest time, but he also completed over 100 laps, providing critical data for Red Bull’s first-ever in-house engine developed with Ford.
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Mercedes’ Productive Split: The Silver Arrows split their day between Kimi Antonelli (morning) and George Russell (afternoon). Antonelli held the lead early in the day before being eclipsed by Hadjar, eventually finishing the day 4th overall.
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The Debutants: * Cadillac: The American manufacturer made its official F1 debut with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez sharing duties. The team focused on installation laps and system checks, finishing toward the bottom of the timesheets.
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Audi: Gabriel Bortoleto brought out one of the day’s three red flags due to a “technical issue,” a common sight as teams grapple with the complex new hybrid systems.
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Iron Man Ocon: Haas driver Esteban Ocon was the most productive man on track, grinding out a staggering 154 laps, proving the reliability of the Haas-Ferrari package.
Unofficial Day 1 Results (Combined Sessions)
| Position | Driver | Team | Best Time | Laps |
| 1 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:18.159 | 107 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:18.696 | 93 (Total Team: 149) |
| 3 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:20.189 | 60 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:20.700 | 56 |
| 5 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:23.014 | 154 |
| 6 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:21.864 | 88 |
| 7 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:24.651 | 33 |
Looking Ahead
While Red Bull looks strong, it is important to note that many teams, including Ferrari and McLaren, are running limited or different programs today. Ferrari is expected to join the timed running on Tuesday with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, while Williams and Aston Martin have opted to skip the early part of the week entirely.
Testing resumes tomorrow morning at 09:00 local time. Though there is no live TV coverage, the paddock expects more representative lap times as teams begin to turn up the power on their new units.