The Barcelona shakedown has shown us the face of the new Formula 1, with agile single-seaters that have drawn fewer complaints from drivers than many had expected. Mercedes is being tipped as the main favourite and, while Toto Wolff and George Russell are playing things down, the young Italian driver is hoping to capitalise on the hard work carried out last year by targeting his first victories.
Formula 1 has officially entered the era of agile cars following the Barcelona shakedown. Over five days of behind-closed-doors testing, fans were able to get a first “scent” of what the highly anticipated 2026 championship will offer in terms of performance and on-track action.
Together with Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, founder of Formula Medicine, we try to understand the feelings that emerged from the paddock after the first taste of the new, shorter, lighter and narrower cars.
We immediately asked the mental coach what struck him most during the Catalunya sessions.
“Two things, speaking both about drivers and teams. All in all, the drivers have been less critical than I would have expected. They admitted that these cars are not as bad to drive as one might have feared, whereas it would have been easy to expect some complaints from the drivers.”
But is this corporate marketing, or a genuinely honest assessment?
“These are internal voices from our collaborators who were present at the tests, so I would say they are sincere words. The teams themselves were worried and instead they are saying that, all things considered, the start of the new Formula 1 era has been less traumatic with these regulations than in the past, when other major rule changes were introduced. The cars ran with a certain level of consistency straight away, including Red Bull, which was running the new power unit.”
“The teams arrived in Barcelona fearing engine-related difficulties and, fortunately, they encountered fewer problems than expected. Considering that there are still two tests in Bahrain before the debut race in Australia, the teams are looking to the future with a certain degree of confidence.”
But with what mindset should the immediate future be analysed?
“According to some drivers, there will be a significant gap between the top teams and the midfield teams, so at least initially we should expect large differences across the grid. The performance window between the first and last cars will be much wider compared to the recent past, when the entire field was covered by just over one second.”
Who is likely to struggle the most?
“I believe Audi will be the one in trouble, while behind the scenes there are rumours that Adrian Newey has already found some new solutions.”
The AMR26 looks very interesting, but the Honda engine appears to be behind…
“The car features some brilliant solutions, but they are of little use if the power unit does not deliver the necessary performance.”
There was a lot of concern about lap times: the agile cars immediately appeared quick, even though cornering speeds are lower, while straight-line speed is clearly very high.
“We remained around five seconds off last year’s times, which is not bad considering that nobody was really pushing. Drivers like the idea of being able to work on cornering performance, so the feedback from Barcelona has been positive.”
We left Lewis Hamilton disappointed and withdrawn, to the point where he did not want to speak to anyone, and then in Spain we found him at the top of the timesheets. His fastest lap means nothing in absolute terms, but it still put him ahead of Charles Leclerc, who is expected to be Ferrari’s reference driver this year. The feeling is that removing ground effect has been a liberation for the seven-time world champion’s driving style.
“At that age, if you find yourself with a competitive car, you rediscover the motivation to be winning again. You regain enthusiasm, because if the necessary drive fades at 40, you can no longer add anything extra yourself. It is certainly too early to judge the driving style required by these cars, but they could favour those who interpret them best. Finishing at the top has undoubtedly been good for Lewis’ morale after recharging his batteries.”
It was also a positive boost for the team from Maranello…
“Certainly, although people in the paddock believe that Mercedes and McLaren will ultimately emerge at the front. Ferrari is seen as an outsider. There is also anticipation surrounding Red Bull, despite the question marks over the power unit: the feeling is that not much may change at the very top compared to last year.”
Toto Wolff and George Russell, at the official launch of the W17, were keen to stress that Mercedes’ superiority is far from guaranteed, while Kimi Antonelli did not deny that if he has the best car, he will aim to win the opening races and fight for the championship.
“This is the blessed recklessness of a young driver, while the more experienced one is a little more cautious in his assessments. Kimi tends to show less diplomacy: he is more sincere, more direct, more honest. It is obvious that the young driver from Bologna wants to showcase his talent and hopes for a winning car, but overall he is right, because the engine seems to be the best.”
“In recent years McLaren has nailed the right car, but Mercedes is usually technically well prepared for regulation changes, and it is easy to imagine that they will be fighting for the world championship.”
“Kimi will have to prove that he has matured, and George Russell will always be a tough opponent to beat, even for the young Italian, who will try to capitalise on the experience gained during his second year in Formula 1. Based on how strongly he finished last season, I think he has all the qualities needed to be part of a team that will fight for the title. It would not be surprising at all to see him battling at the front.”
The MotoGP market has moved very early and already seems almost closed, whereas in the past teams used to wait until the summer and the Assen race before starting negotiations. How long will it be before the same happens in Formula 1?
“In MotoGP we are only at the winter tests and the first agreements are already in place: Jorge Martin is going to Yamaha and Fabio Quartararo to Honda. These moves are stirring things up significantly. We are looking at a market that opens even before the first race of the season. Formula 1 will do the same. As soon as drivers understand the competitive order under the new rules, they will begin chasing the best seats. We will not have to wait long. There is great interest in understanding Red Bull’s true value and the consistency of Aston Martin.”
“The green car has the potential to be very attractive: Lawrence Stroll’s team has the ambition to become a top team and could attract a driver like Charles Leclerc. Adrian Newey’s car is fuelling expectations, also because Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are not necessarily the two drivers on whom you would build a short- or medium-term title challenge. Aston Martin will be the key around which the market will revolve. Get ready…”
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