Max Verstappen completed 118 laps on the final day of Formula 1's 2026 shakedown in Barcelona, but emphasized that significant development remains for Red Bull's new Ford power unit. The five-day private test allowed teams to gather mileage ahead of the regulation overhaul, with Red Bull and its sister team Racing Bulls impressing on reliability. Mercedes also shone, completing extensive running without major issues.
The Formula 1 shakedown at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya marked the first on-track activity for the 2026 cars, featuring new power unit regulations with a 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power. Red Bull, partnering with Ford for its debut as a power unit supplier after 21 years in the sport, allocated its Monday session to new teammate Isack Hadjar. Verstappen took over Tuesday morning amid mixed conditions, while Hadjar crashed in the afternoon, limiting further running until Friday.
On the final day, the four-time world champion logged 118 laps, describing the effort as a solid start. "Still work in progress, but I think we've hit the ground running quite well with those things," Verstappen told reporters. "It's still a very complicated formula for everyone, there's still quite a bit of work to do, but that's normal."
Red Bull and Racing Bulls combined for 393 laps over the first three days with no reliability problems, followed by Liam Lawson's 64 laps on Thursday morning, totaling over 500 by week's end. Racing Bulls chief technical officer Tim Goss praised the achievement: "To come as a complete newcomer... and on your very first day, to then get nearly 200 laps under your belt, it's easy to take this level of reliability for granted, but it can't be underestimated what they've achieved." He highlighted the power unit's fantastic drivability, though teams are adapting to variable energy management lap by lap.
Mercedes completed the most laps, including a full race simulation by Andrea Kimi Antonelli on Wednesday, finishing all running by Thursday. George Russell, who set the second-fastest time behind Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, called it "a very positive test." "We had lots of mileage on the car... no major issues, no porpoising," he said, adding surprise at competitors' strong power unit showings.
Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle, recalling a tour of Red Bull's facilities 18 months ago led by Christian Horner, was unsurprised by the results. "The scale of it, the number of people and the facilities... My God, this is unbelievable!" he said. Brundle noted Mercedes' edge with data from multiple customer teams, contrasting challenges for single-team efforts like Aston Martin-Honda and Audi, and expressed relief at the lack of 2014-style hybrid-era gremlins.
While lap times were secondary to mileage, the test signals a competitive landscape for 2026, with Red Bull not entering as favorites despite Verstappen's pedigree.
