by Vadim Stepanov, Formula143.org
From January 26th to 30th, the 2026 Formula 1 shakedown took place at the Circuit de Catalunya. Ten of the eleven teams were able to take to the track.
Of course, comparing and analyzing the times posted by the drivers during the shakedown may be uninformative. This is only the first taste of the new-generation cars, and the teams’ goal was to test the cars on track for the first time and ensure everything worked.
Nevertheless, the exact results of each of the five sessions, although unofficial, are known, and it is possible to estimate the preliminary balance of power for today.
We conducted a comparative analysis of car and driver performance based on the results of each of the five sessions. The gap to the session leader, adjusted for the number of laps completed, was used as the basis. To analyze team performance, the best result of each session was taken into account. A description of the analysis methodology is available at the end of the article.
According to our data, Mercedes emerged as the leader in the shakedown. Red Bull is only slightly behind the Silver Arrows (0.2 seconds per lap). McLaren and Ferrari are less than a second behind the leader. Alpine also performed well, with a gap of just 1.5 seconds. Haas and Racing Bulls are just over 2 seconds behind. Aston Martin, Cadillac, and Audi are in the rear of the field. Moreover, the American Formula One rookie, adjusted for the number of laps completed, wasn’t the worst team.
As for the drivers, George Russell demonstarted the best performance. Norris, Verstappen, and Hajjar are three to four tenths behind him. Kimi Antonelli and both Ferrari drivers form the next group, less than a second behind the leader. Five more drivers, including Oscar Piastri and rookie Arvid Lindblad, are within 1 to 1.5 seconds of the leader. Ocon and Lawson are approximately 2.5 seconds behind. The outsiders are the entire Audi and Cadillac lineup, along with Fernando Alonso. Lance Stroll’s performance is still unclear, as he completed only four laps in non-race mode. Williams didn’t even show up in Barcelona, as the team didn’t have time to prepare the car for the shakedown.
Analysis Method
1. Each session (5 shakedown days) is analyzed separately.
2. For each session, the gap in seconds between each driver and the session leader (the driver with the best final time of the day) is calculated. Each driver’s best time of the day is used for this calculation.
3. For drivers who completed fewer than the average number of laps for a given session, the final gap is adjusted for expected progress (improvement in results with increasing number of laps completed).
4. For the overall assessment of a driver’s performance during shakedown (results presented in the final table), the average gap to the leader is calculated based on the results of all sessions in which the driver participated.
5. The results of the rain-affected session on the morning of the second day were not taken into account in the analysis.
6. The results of Lance Stroll, who completed only four laps in non-race mode on the fourth day, were not taken into account in the analysis.
7. For Isack Hadjar, who only set a dry time in one session (where he led), the average time behind the leader during the second session, where he crashed, was assigned.
8. For team performance analysis, the time set by the team’s best car in each session was taken into account, i.e., the time of only the best driver if both team drivers participated in the session. Otherwise, the average performance was calculated using the same method as for individual drivers.
Day by day Lap Times
Overall Shakedown Results and Statistics
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