The first laps of the 2026 Formula 1 era are already in the can, and the cameras have been rolling. From Imola to Silverstone and Barcelona, teams have quietly unleashed their new machinery in low-key filming days and shakedowns, creating a patchwork of early images and clips that hint at how the grid is adapting to the next rules reset. I want to walk through those first sightings, car by car and circuit by circuit, to piece together what these early runs really tell us about the season that is about to break cover.
These outings are short, tightly controlled and often cloaked in secrecy, but they are also the first time the 2026 challengers meet real tarmac. The shots that have emerged, and the radio snippets that have slipped out, already show how aggressively teams are treating this transition and how much they are willing to reveal before official testing begins.
Racing Bulls light up Imola with Lawson at the wheel
The clearest early look at a 2026-spec car has come from Imola, where Racing Bulls chose the classic Italian circuit for the first laps of its new machine. Liam Lawson took the wheel for a private run that doubled as both a systems check and a statement of intent, with the team using the historic layout to validate its interpretation of the 2026 regulations. The fact that Lawson, a driver still fighting for a full-time seat, was trusted with those first laps underlines how central he has become to the Racing Bulls project as the team refines its new package for the coming season, something that was underlined when Liam Lawson got behind the wheel of the Racing Bulls car at Imola.
Images from that Imola shakedown show a car that already looks purpose-built for the new engine and chassis framework, with revised proportions and packaging that hint at how the team has tried to balance efficiency with stability. The early photography captured by specialist observers of the Racing Bulls chassis at Imola suggest the team has not been shy about committing to its chosen aerodynamic direction. Another angle on the same private outing, shared through a separate feed that again highlighted how Liam Lawson handled the new car at Imola, reinforced the impression that Racing Bulls is using this early track time to validate both its driver pecking order and its technical gamble.
Alpine and Ferrari brave the weather at home
While Racing Bulls chose the relative privacy of Imola, Alpine has already been spotted running its A526 in far less forgiving conditions. Two days before its official launch, the team took the car to Silverstone for a wet shakedown that quickly leaked into the public domain, with footage showing the blue machine cutting through standing water as it completed its first laps. The images of Alpine circulating at Silverstone, with Jan van de reportedly involved around the run, underline how keen the team is to gather data even when the weather is far from ideal.
The same soaked outing has been described in a second account that again stressed how the A526 was hustled around Silverstone just before the team’s formal reveal, again highlighting the role of Jan van de in the background of the operation. Ferrari, by contrast, has opted for a more controlled environment, locking in a Fiorano run that doubles as a launch moment for its SF-26. The team has confirmed that its Fiorano shakedown will coincide with the SF-26 launch, a move that not only builds hype but also allows engineers to correlate presentation-spec bodywork with real track behaviour from the first moment the car fires up.
Audi’s Barcelona debut and the new manufacturer wave
The most eye-catching newcomer in these early laps is Audi, which has already rolled out its first Formula 1 car in anger. The R26 has been filmed during a private day at Barcelona, with short clips showing the silver car accelerating out of the pits and sweeping through the opening sector of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. One early reel framed Audi as a fresh Formula entrant and highlighted how its 2026 challenger was already stretching its legs at Barcelona, giving fans a first listen to the new power unit note.
Further detail on that first run has emerged through another clip that described the outing as the Formula team’s initial Barcelona shakedown, again underlining how significant it is for Audi to have its R26 circulating at speed at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya before many rivals have even shown their cars. The manufacturer has also revealed a striking silver livery for the Audi F1 Team R26, with the design showcased alongside comments that it remains unclear how the Team will fare once the competitive order shakes out. A separate social clip framed the same day as the First Track Running for the R26 in Barcelona-Catalunya, underscoring how important that milestone is for a new works operation.
Cadillac, Sergio Perez and the Silverstone storyline
Cadillac has chosen a different route into the 2026 narrative, pairing its emerging F1 identity with a familiar race winner. The American brand has already completed a shakedown with its 2026 car at Silverstone, with Sergio Perez driving a Ferrari-powered chassis during a filming day that doubled as a systems check and a marketing opportunity. One detailed account of the outing explained how Cadillac became the latest team to log a shakedown when Sergio Perez sampled the Ferrari-powered car at Silverstone, giving the project an immediate link to proven race-winning experience.
The manufacturer has leaned into that star power by releasing footage of a special team radio message from Perez at the end of the run, a clip that captured his thanks to the crew and his enthusiasm for the programme. The audio, shared by Cadillac, underlined how Sergio Perez is being positioned as a central figure in the team’s development push, with references to his commitment across the entire 2025 season. A parallel write-up of the same Silverstone day again stressed that Sergio Perez was at the wheel of the Ferrari-powered Cadillac at Silverstone, reinforcing how the brand is using a known quantity to accelerate its learning curve ahead of the new rules.
Why these shakedowns matter before Barcelona and Bahrain
All of these early laps are happening against a compressed pre-season backdrop, with teams facing a tight turnaround before official testing. The first 2026 pre-season test is scheduled for the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya, with a detailed timetable already set out for the days when teams will share the track and finally run in comparable conditions. One schedule overview has laid out how the opening test at the Circuit of Barcelona will unfold, while a separate note on the same plan highlighted how the Circuit de Barcelona session is set for late January, framing these private shakedowns as vital preparation rather than optional extras.
Once the Barcelona running is complete, attention will swing quickly to the Bahrain International Circuit, where the next official tests will take place over two separate blocks in February. Reporting on the calendar has confirmed that the Bahrain International Circuit will host official tests on 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 February, giving teams two windows to refine their cars in representative desert conditions. A separate explanation of why pre-season is starting so early again stressed those Bahrain dates and how they will provide the first true read on the competitive order at the Bahrain International Circuit, which makes every kilometre logged in these earlier shakedowns even more valuable.
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