The radical-looking 2026 Aston Martin F1 car has been described as "on another level" with "incredible attention to detail" as the Adrian Newey design turned testing heads.
The Honda-powered machine did not head out on track in Spain until late on Thursday, with Lance Stroll completing a handful of slow laps, before veteran Fernando Alonso drove a Newey-designed car for the first time on Friday, completing 49 laps.
READ MORE: Radical Aston Martin 'on another level' as striking Adrian Newey influence clear
Lewis Hamilton drops major first hint over 2026 Ferrari F1 car
Lewis Hamilton has delivered his verdict on the new generation of F1 cars after topping the Barcelona pre-season shakedown, hinting it could be a return to some of his strengths.
Late on the final day of running, Hamilton posted a 1:16.348 to set the quickest time of the week as he looks to bounce back from the horror 2025 season with Ferrari.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton drops major first hint over 2026 Ferrari F1 car
What we learned from F1's Barcelona pre-season shakedown test
The first pre-season 'shakedown' test is firmly in the 2026 books as F1 teams prepare to crunch their data and take what learnings they can heading to Bahrain in the middle of February.
With the talking finally over and the cars and drivers now speaking for themselves, RacingNews365 takes a look at some of the key things we learned in Barcelona about how the 2026 season could shape up.
READ MORE: What we learned from F1's Barcelona pre-season shakedown test
Audi facing 'longest ever list' as true scale of F1 challenge unmasked
Audi chief Mattia Binotto says he has "never seen such a long list" of issues it must fix after the Barcelona pre-season shakedown.
In its first pre-season test in F1, Audi completed 240 laps across the permitted three days of running, but Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were hampered by niggling problems with the R26 machine, with Bortoleto stopping on track on one occasion.
READ MORE: Audi facing 'longest ever list' as true scale of F1 challenge unmasked
Max Verstappen pinpoints 'key' to unlocking huge Red Bull 2026 unknown
Max Verstappen believes the century of laps he racked up during the final day of F1's Barcelona shakedown will be "key" to helping Red Bull grow its understanding of its new engine.
On Friday in Barcelona, Verstappen tallied 118 laps of the track, posting a 1:17.586 as his best effort as Red Bull continues to learn about its new in-house Red Bull Powertrains-Ford engine.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen pinpoints 'key' to unlocking huge Red Bull 2026 unknown
Racing Bulls deliver early verdict on new Red Bull engine
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has praised the new Red Bull power unit, admitting the team is “pleasantly surprised” by its performance.
Red Bull has fielded its own power unit this year for the first time, built in collaboration with Ford.
READ MORE: Racing Bulls deliver early verdict on new Red Bull engine
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding for the first podcast of 2026! The duo look at some of the biggest topics ahead of the new season, including Max Verstappen remaining with Red Bull and the pressure which awaits Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
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