Ferrari and Red Bull were the only teams to hit the track on the second day of the 2026 Barcelona Shakedown, completing extensive laps despite rainy conditions. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton shared duties in Ferrari's SF-26, while Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar ran for Red Bull in the RB22. Both teams gathered valuable data on their new cars amid the wet weather.
The second day of the Barcelona Shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya proceeded with Ferrari and Red Bull as the sole participants, focusing on initial checks of their 2026-spec cars. Mercedes opted out due to a forecasted rain, leaving the circuit initially to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who piloted the SF-26 for 64 laps in the morning session. Some of his running occurred on a dry track before heavy rain arrived around 10:30 a.m., prompting a brief pause, but Leclerc continued in damp conditions to test systems and gather aerodynamic data using partial active aero mode.
Max Verstappen joined shortly after, completing laps in Red Bull's RB22. After lunch, Lewis Hamilton took over for Ferrari, adding 58 laps in fully wet conditions, while Isack Hadjar drove for Red Bull. The teams accumulated around 122 laps combined for Ferrari, providing insights into power unit modes, tyre performance, and reliability without major issues.
Leclerc described the experience as 'nice to be back in the car – back in a very, very all-new car, and very different to what we’ve been driving so far.' He emphasized the focus on verifying new systems: 'We’re more about looking at all the systems that are new on this car and see if everything works as it should, and it did so that’s a positive.'
Hamilton echoed the positivity, noting the challenges: 'Very challenging today, because it started raining at 10.30am... Figuring out how to get the tyres working was really productive – I think we got 120 laps or something like that.' He praised the team's preparation: 'I’m really proud of everyone back at the factory for getting the car to this point. We got a lot of information on the car today.'
McLaren plans to debut on day 3 and run through day 5, while Aston Martin targets Thursday and Friday. Williams will not participate. The shakedown allows teams three days of running over five to assess the major regulation changes ahead of February's Bahrain tests.
