F1 Testing Live: Lap Timings, Latest Updates, and Schedule
The 2026 Formula 1 season is upon us, and with just six weeks until the first race in Australia, the teams are gearing up for a campaign filled with unknowns.
New regulations this season mean it's a fresh start for all 11 teams, with Cadillac being the first new team on the grid since Haas in 2016. Audi has taken over Sauber, and Ford is partnering with Red Bull to build their own engines. McLaren won both world championships last year, but this season, Mercedes is rumored to be the frontrunner. However, we won't know for sure until we see the cars on the track.
This week's behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona is the first of three pre-season sessions for the teams. Official tests are scheduled in Bahrain next month (February 11-13 and February 18-20). Williams, however, won't be present this week due to delays in their car.
Follow live updates from F1 pre-season testing with The Independent.
ANALYSIS: Why Ford is 'Climbing a Mountain' in Hope of Powering Max Verstappen to F1 Glory After 22-Year Absence
By Kieran Jackson
Just 39 days after Lando Norris's title triumph in Abu Dhabi, the Formula One wagon is slowly getting back on the road. However, this time, the gear changes are clunky and unpredictable. 2026 marks a deep dive into the unknown: new regulations, new teams, and new dreams for most of the field. Ignore the usual gossip and murmurs. The truth is that nobody really knows what to expect.
The love-or-loathe F1 launch season began in piercing sub-zero conditions on Thursday night, 4,000 miles from the UK's so-called 'Motorsport Valley' in the Midlands and Oxfordshire, which hosts six of the 11 teams. The venue was Michigan Central Station in Detroit, with temperatures around -10C, as Red Bull took to the stage alongside one of America's biggest car manufacturers.
Kimi Antonelli on Mercedes' W17 so far this week:
'The car feels nice, we still have a lot of running and learning to do, but it was good to see it out on track. All the cars look really nice and they are quick. I don’t think the gaps on the grid will be as big as people think, we will have some close fights. It will take time for everyone to understand, particularly with the battery management, but once we start racing it will all get very exciting.'
Aston Martin Yet to Appear
Aston fine-tuned their car overnight and are expected to take to the track today for their first testing runs of the week in Barcelona. However, no sign of Lance Stroll or Fernando Alonso yet.
Where Can I Watch Pre-Season Test?
As it is a private event, the test will not be broadcast or streamed on TV or online. However, Sky Sports F1's YouTube channel will show brief highlights every night at 9 p.m., with F1's usual set of cameras present at the Barcelona circuit. The FIA has confirmed that lap times will be published at the end of each day, too.
ANALYSIS: How Lewis Hamilton is Making His Mark at Ferrari: 'This Car Has a Clear Direction'
By Kieran Jackson
Twelve months into his multi-year Ferrari contract, Lewis Hamilton's re-emergence into the public domain on Friday did not carry the weight of giddiness and expectation of a year ago. In hindsight, perhaps the delirium of his debut season was a bit too much for all involved. Yet 2026 is an open book – new regulations and potentially a new pecking order – and the first season in which Hamilton can fully stamp his imprint on a new-look car. Whether or not the boffins in Maranello have heeded the knowledge and experience of Hamilton's 19 years in Formula 1 is another matter altogether.
Lewis Hamilton Back on Track
Contrary to Tuesday, Lewis Hamilton has appeared on track for Ferrari for the morning session. The first bit of dry running in Barcelona for the seven-time world champion!
Day 4 of Testing
Mercedes are the first team out the block this morning, meaning today will be their final testing day. Cadillac and Ferrari have also appeared from the pit lane early on.
Lewis Hamilton Gives Verdict on 'Intense' First Ferrari F1 Test in Barcelona
'It was an intense but productive first day, especially with the mixed weather conditions,' Hamilton said after his testing on Tuesday. 'We managed to get good mileage on the car and gather a lot of useful information, which is important with such a big regulation change. There were no major issues and that gives us a solid foundation to keep learning and building over the next few days.'
More Detail Below:
Cadillac F1 Boss Wades in on Pre-Season Row: 'We Have a Fully Legal Engine'
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon is satisfied that his new F1 team have a 'fully legal engine' via partners Ferrari amid the row brewing ahead of the 2026 season. Last week, Red Bull's engine boss said he 'couldn't understand' why a row had broken out, yet Cadillac team boss Lowdon, in charge of F1's first new team since 2016, has thrown his support behind the Ferrari power unit his team will use this year.
More from Vowles:
'We could have made Barcelona testing, but I'd have to have turned upside-down the components on spares for Bahrain, Melbourne, and beyond,' he said. 'Frankly, there was zero point. I'm confident we won't be behind [other teams] for the following reason: we've got six days of testing in representative conditions [in Bahrain]. We have the power unit and gearbox provided by Mercedes, who'll be doing the running this week. The drivers stand shoulder to shoulder with me; they're clearly disappointed. It isn't the same, but they both signed up for the journey of not one year but to fight to the top. We are going to push this team to the absolute limits to maximize our journey to the front. They are very much with the team, hand in hand.'
On the potential performance of the car, Vowles added: 'It's impossible to tell right now, these are facts. Lap times in Barcelona don't indicate where cars are on the timing sheet, but Bahrain will tell us that.'
