Unusual F1 pre-season test plan revealed

F1 pre-season testing for 2026 is to start with an unusual five-day programme in Barcelona in January, RacingNews365 can reveal.

New rules for the 2026 season feature major changes to the chassis and engines in the single biggest overhaul ever of an F1 car from season to season, and as a result, the amount of testing available to teams is set to triple from three days in 2025 to nine in total for 2026.

The action is to start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday, January 26 and last for five days until Friday, 30 January. However, of these five days on offer, each of the 11 teams will only be able to run for three days in total, sitting out for two. 

The extra time has been granted as a contingency for bad weather to hit the track, with a snowstorm famously disrupting 2018 pre-season running. 

This test will also allow teams more time to grasp the new, complex power units, which feature beefed-up electrical systems, capable of producing 350k/w of energy, 100% sustainable fuels and the removal of the MGU-H. 

After running in Barcelona, testing will head to the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain for two three-day tests.

These are to run between Wednesday, February 11 and Friday, February 13 and again one week later from Wednesday, February 18, to Friday, February 20. 

They will be usual open tests where teams can conduct as much on-track running as they can. 

Following testing, F1 will then head down under to Melbourne for the 2026 season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 8. 

In 2026, F1 will welcome a brand-new team in Cadillac, which will run a customer Ferrari power unit, whilst Audi is also set to enter, having taken over Sauber, and will be a full works outfit. 

Audi joins Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull Powertrains and the returning Honda as a power unit manufacturer, whilst Renault is set to withdraw following the 2025 season.