With the 2026 F1 pre-season testing now complete, here is a look at three lessons learned from the tests.
The past month has seen F1 hit Barcelona, Spain, for a shakedown test of their new machinery ahead of two three-days tests in Sakhir, Bahrain, as they got to grips with the new-look cars following a revamp in technical regulations.
So here is a look at three lessons which teams, media and fans alike have learned from 2026 pre-season testing.
Aston Martin Faces Uphill Struggle
Having partnered Honda and signed Adrian Newey from Red Bull, hopes were high that Aston Martin would be amongst the frontrunners going into pre-season.
Reliability however impacted the team’s performance with just 394 laps completed in total across the Barcelona shakedown and two Bahrain tests, whilst a battery issue on the second day of the second test in Bahrain limited them to just six laps on the final day which is a worrying sign for the start of this season.
Even when they managed competitive single-lap running, they were still quite a distance off the pace which raises genuine fears for the season ahead, especially if their power unit parts shortage were to continue going into the opening double-header of the campaign in Australia and China.
The fact that Fernando Alonso even told media that the team have “many things that we need to fix” isn’t a good sign for their competitiveness, meaning that 2026 could be more of a season of evolution and sorting out their issues ready for a hopefully competitive 2027 season.
Audi and Cadillac Look Solid
Audi and Cadillac will be making their debuts on the grid this season and both teams enjoyed solid tests for different reasons.
Audi had taken over Sauber’s entry and worked closely with the team last season in preparation for this season, which looks to have paid off because they have enjoyed a solid Barcelona shakedown and Bahrain tests.
The fact that Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg sat 10th and 12th respectively on the combined timesheet across the final three days of testing is a positive sign, and points to them being midfield challengers this season with potential to get stronger as the season goes on.
Cadillac meanwhile are a brand new team to F1 so it’s natural that headline single-lap times weren’t high on their agenda as they instead focused on data gathering and race simulations more, but reliability hasn’t exactly been strong with extensive periods in their garage in the two Bahrain tests.
They however have two experienced drivers in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez in the cockpit which will be of benefit as they naturally evolve across the season and become more competitive, but they will be in for a rough start unless can sort their reliability in time for Australia.
Unclear Title Chargers
Up front, Ferrari might of posted the fastest overall lap time in both Barcelona and Bahrain but the nature of testing means that everyone is running different programmes, which means that their lap times can’t be taken at full value given that everyone set their fastest overall lap times at different points on different tyres.
Mercedes however topped three of the six days in Bahrain – of which Andrea Kimi Antonelli was quickest on two of those three days to George Russell’s one, whilst Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped two and set the fastest combined time of 1m 31.992 on the final day.
Reigning world champion, Lando Norris though was quickest on the opening day of the first Bahrain test for McLaren and generally looked competitive throughout, whilst Red Bull and Max Verstappen can never be discounted from contention so it is hard to separate that quartet in terms of title contenders.
Mercedes however have been the most reliable in terms of overall mileage ahead of Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull out of that quartet, with the Silver Arrows, Ferrari and McLaren having completed 1000+ laps unlike Red Bull due to a crash for Isack Hadjar on the wet second day of the Barcelona shakedown.
Alpine, Haas and Racing Bulls meanwhile look set to head the scrap for the ‘Best of the Rest’ status as the fifth-quickest team, but Audi should also be in the mix whilst Williams can’t be discounted after their progress last season despite a quiet pre-season this time round.
Either way we just don’t know the true pecking order until the season opener in Melbourne, Australia between 6-8 March, aside from Aston Martin and Cadillac propping up the grid as the likeliest Q1 eliminations.
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