Four Formula 1 teams opted to sit out the morning running of F1 Barcelona testing Day 2 due to rain as Max Verstappen’s red flag incident briefly halted proceedings.
The behind-closed-doors shakedown session, limited to Red Bull and Ferrari participants, underscored the challenges of debuting entirely new 2026 regulations-era cars under variable weather conditions, as teams prioritized reliability over outright pace.
Teams are permitted just three days of participation across the five-day private test, a deliberate constraint to focus on shakedown objectives amid the sport’s shift to more sustainable power units featuring 50 percent electric power, active aerodynamics, and redesigned chassis geometries.
Red Bull opted for Day 2 after Isack Hadjar’s promising pace-setting efforts on Day 1, while the Scuderia deployed Charles Leclerc to gather crucial data on their new SF-26 challenger.
Inclement weather, long forecasted as a wildcard for the week, set in prematurely around mid-morning transitioning F1 Barcelona testing Day 2 from dry benchmarks to an impromptu wet-tyre evaluation that saw Mercedes, Alpine, Audi and Cadillac cancel their runs, preserving their three-day quotas for drier slots.
Drizzle escalated into steady rain, compelling Leclerc and Verstappen to bolt on full wets and intermediates—two sets of each mandated per team for such contingencies—transforming the shakedown into a vital real-world simulation of changing grip.
Leclerc, no stranger to Barcelona’s demanding corners like the high-speed Turn 3 and the technical Turn 5 where Verstappen later strayed, methodically built laps, reportedly logging up to 45 in the morning stint alone according to unconfirmed pitlane whispers.
However, Max Verstappen’s red flag incident unfolded mere minutes into the running, around 0915 CET, as the four-time world champion pushed the Red Bull RB22‘s limits in its initial dry conditions outing.
Reports confirmed the Dutch driver veered off at Turn 5—a tight right-hander notorious for catching out even seasoned pilots—plunging through the gravel trap without sustaining visible damage, allowing a quick recovery back to the pit lane after a five-minute session stoppage.
The minor hiccup, far from a catastrophe, highlighted the RB22’s inherent stability, with no smoke or reliability gremlins emerging despite early speculation; instead, it provided an unplanned test of the car’s gravel exit dynamics under the new lighter, more nimble 2026 chassis specs weighing in at approximately 768kg.
Verstappen re-emerged undeterred, clocking a standout dry lap of 1:19.580, the session’s quickest before precipitation arrived, underscoring Red Bull’s early adaptability in the uncharted regulatory landscape.
Meanwhile, Leclerc unofficially dipped into a 1:20.8 after a total of 64 laps—far surpassing Verstappen’s 27 morning efforts.
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Max Verstappen triggers red flag as several teams skip F1 Barcelona testing Day 2
Unofficial 2026 F1 Barcelona pre-season testing Day 2 Results
