Red Bull and McLaren have unveiled their 2026 Formula 1 vehicles as the initial day of preseason testing commences at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
A comprehensive revision of the technical regulations this year means that the first of three preseason tests is already in progress, providing each team the chance to take their cars on the track for three different days over the next five.
Red Bull is one of the teams that has chosen to participate on Monday, while McLaren will postpone its first day of testing until Tuesday or Wednesday, having delayed the development of the car and virtual track testing as much as possible.
Red Bull had previously showcased its 2026 livery on a show car during a season launch event with its new power unit partner Ford in Detroit, but opted to wait until the morning of the first test to share the first authentic images of its actual car.
Defending champions McLaren will not unveil its race livery until February 9 and has released digital renderings of its car in an all-black testing livery that will only be seen on the car this week in Spain.
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The test is being conducted behind closed doors, with no media or fans present, allowing teams the opportunity to troubleshoot their cars in preparation for the first fully open test in Bahrain on February 11-13.
The 2026 regulations are extensive, leading to new chassis, engines, fuel, tires, and active aerodynamics on both front and rear wings.
Mercedes was the first team to hit the track on Monday, exiting the pits right at the start of the session at 9 a.m. local time with Kimi Antonelli driving. Nico Hülkenberg in the Audi followed shortly after, with Alpine taking to the track soon thereafter.
Racing Bulls was the fourth team to make an appearance on track, ahead of Cadillac, Red Bull, and Haas.
Ferrari has already confirmed its participation in the test on Tuesday, while Williams has announced that it will forgo the Barcelona session entirely due to delays in finalizing its new car.
Source: espn.com
