Jan.30 (GMM) Aston Martin finally joined Formula 1’s Barcelona shakedown late on Thursday, unveiling a strikingly radical 2026 car that contrasts strongly with the totally-absent Williams.
The Silverstone-based team only arrived late on Wednesday night, its car running late in the day on Thursday in bare carbon with no sponsors. Lance Stroll completed what a team spokesman described as “a handful” of laps, though they also included a breakdown.
Despite the limited mileage, the design turned heads. Observers noted near-nonexistent sidepods, an unusual treatment at the base of the engine cover, a distinct front-end philosophy and a radical rear suspension layout – all hallmarks of a Adrian Newey-influenced car. Marca called it a “radical, unexpected design, different to everything else seen in the shakedown”.
When Fernando Alonso arrived at the circuit and was briefly stopped by a La Sexta reporter in the paddock car park, the Spaniard confirmed: “Yes, I’ll do a few laps,” referring to Friday’s running.
“First, we have to get in the car – we have to calm expectations,” he added. “First we work, then we’ll see.”
Also running for the first time was Oscar Piastri at McLaren, though the team experienced some minor issues as several outfits completed their maximum three days of running across the five-day window.
The clear early benchmark, however, continues to belong to Mercedes. Auto Bild reported that Mercedes has “shocked” rivals with engine performance, while George Russell recorded a best lap in the mid-1m16s – less than five seconds off Piastri’s 2025 pole time. No other car at the shakedown dipped below 1m18s.
“The car is working well,” Russell said, “but it’s not about that – it’s about how fast it can go. We don’t have any indication yet, so we’ll have to wait until Bahrain.”
At Ferrari, the mood was cautiously positive despite a strange spin for Lewis Hamilton on a straight.
“It was so cold that the tyres weren’t working,” Hamilton said. “But we completed our program and understood what we need to improve.”
“Last year we had a worse start to testing,” he added. “Considering it’s a completely new set of rules, this is better than we’ve experienced before.”
Red Bull again chose not to run, with spare parts only just arriving from the UK after Isack Hadjar’s crash earlier in the week damaged suspension, rear wing and even the rear impact structure. Max Verstappen has so far completed just 27 laps, mostly in wet conditions.
Williams, meanwhile, remains absent altogether, though Carlos Sainz at least completed a seat fitting at Grove on Thursday. Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher was unimpressed.
“Not being present at the first test is unacceptable,” Schumacher said on Sky Deutschland. “This shouldn’t have happened to James Vowles’ team. It’s a major disadvantage.
“It’s anything but good, and one can only hope that the investors are patient.”
There have also been struggles at Audi, running its all-new power unit. Both pace and mileage have been limited, though technical director James Key urged patience.
“Our colleagues in Neuburg had absolutely no track reference data,” Key said. “This is the first time they’ve received real data for the power unit and gearbox. It’s still a very underdeveloped car – but nothing particularly surprising.”
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