By the middle of the second day of Formula 1 Shakedown at Montmeló in Barcelona, it has become clear that only two teams are active on the Catalan track today: Ferrari and Red Bull.
Both top teams took to the track with their 2026 cars, the SF-26 and RB22, driven by Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen respectively. For both drivers, this marked their debut in this closed-door Shakedown, although Red Bull had already completed running yesterday with Isack Hadjar, accumulating a total of 108 laps—almost equivalent to two Grand Prix distances.
Morning session highlights
This morning, both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen went out on a dry track, setting their respective best times. The Red Bull driver was quicker, posting a 1’20.0 against Leclerc’s 1’20.8 (according to SoyMotor). As mentioned yesterday, these times are not indicative of outright performance, as all teams are primarily focused on data collection, aerodynamic assessments, and managing the new power units rather than speed.
While Ferrari showed no signs of issues, Verstappen caused the only red flag of the morning due to a brief off-track excursion. Fortunately, there was no damage, and he was able to return to continue his program.
Rain arrives early at Montmeló
Around 10:30 a.m., rain reached the track, which was no surprise given that weather forecasts had predicted it for several days. Both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen continued their work on track using full wet tires, identifiable by the blue stripe on the shoulders and the pronounced tread grooves.
Charles Leclerc initially saw his lap times increase by around 26 seconds but gradually brought them down to around 1’30” as the track began to dry. The Monegasque, who was the first to run the SF-26 this week, completed roughly 50 laps, approaching a full Grand Prix distance (66 laps at Montmeló).
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, ran both dry and wet conditions but completed fewer laps than the Ferrari driver. However, it is worth noting that Red Bull had already completed over 100 laps yesterday, and the new power unit developed by Red Bull Powertrains—the DM01—has already logged a total of 196 laps, including laps completed by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
Other teams and afternoon plans
McLaren was uncertain whether to participate today, but it would be unusual for the reigning world champions to use only half a day, as this would count as a full track day and compromise the opportunity to run a complete session.
Teams active today are now observing the scheduled break before returning to the track for the afternoon session.
Summary of Day 2 morning
In summary, only Ferrari and Red Bull were on track this morning with Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. After an initial red flag caused by Verstappen, the session continued uninterrupted. On the dry track, Verstappen set an unofficial 1:20.0, ahead of Leclerc’s 1:20.8. With the arrival of rain, lap times rose, but the SF-26 continued running, completing approximately 50 laps in total.
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