Barcelona Shakedown 2026: Aston Martin Debuts Newey-Designed AMR26 as McLaren and Mercedes Log Key Mileage

Barcelona, January 29, 2026: The 2026 Formula One season preparations gathered momentum at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as multiple teams completed crucial running during the Barcelona Shakedown under the sport’s new technical regulations.

The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team marked a major milestone by debuting its AMR26, the team’s first Formula One car designed by legendary engineer Adrian Newey. Lance Stroll took the wheel of the Honda-powered challenger late in the day, completing a handful of installation laps. The team confirmed that Fernando Alonso will drive the car on the final day of running as Aston Martin continues its early validation programme ahead of official pre-season testing.

Meanwhile, the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team returned to the circuit for a second consecutive day, with Oscar Piastri completing 223.536 km in the MCL40 as part of the team’s pre-season shakedown programme. McLaren, however, was forced to end its running early after identifying a fuel system issue during the lunch break, prompting an extensive investigation.

Despite the setback, McLaren said the opening two days had delivered a valuable baseline understanding of the MCL40 under the new regulations. The team acknowledged that while some competitors appear to have set a high early performance benchmark, there remain clear development opportunities to exploit. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are set to share driving duties on the final day of the Barcelona Shakedown.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team completed its third and final day of running with the W17, coinciding with the 140th anniversary of Carl Benz registering the patent for the first motor car. The team focused on mileage accumulation and reliability, primarily running on the C3 soft compound tyres.

Kimi Antonelli completed 90 laps in the morning session, bringing his total to 237 laps over three days, before George Russell took over in the afternoon to add 78 laps. In total, Mercedes logged 500 laps, covering over 2,325 kmduring the Barcelona Shakedown.

Both drivers reported positive initial feedback, highlighting the importance of understanding the radically different behaviour of the 2026-spec cars and power units. Russell noted that while the car felt good to drive, true performance comparisons would only become clear during the first official test in Bahrain (February 11–13).

Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin described the shakedown as a strong reliability test, crediting the teams at Brackley and Brixworth for delivering a car that ran to plan across all three days. He added that Bahrain would allow the team to shift focus towards deeper set-up exploration in warmer conditions.

With the Barcelona Shakedown concluding on Friday, teams will now turn their attention to data analysis and preparation ahead of the first official pre-season test in Bahrain, where the competitive picture for the 2026 Formula One season is expected to begin taking shape.