F1 Testing 2026: Max Verstappen goes OFF as red flag stops Barcelona session

Verstappen with hand on his head looking concerned edited in front of red flag light — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Testing 2026

Max Verstappen goes OFF as red flag stops Barcelona testing

Max Verstappen reportedly brought out a red flag in Barcelona

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 27 January 2026 11:31 Updated: 15:42

Max Verstappen has reportedly brought out a red flag during F1 testing in Barcelona after an excursion off the track.

Pre-season testing in Barcelona entered its second day on Tuesday, with reports suggesting Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar looked impressive on Monday.

However, the Barcelona shakedown takes place behind closed doors, with no official timing or data being shared from the tests.

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Nevertheless, amid this blackout, it has been revealed by Jonathan Noble that on day two, four-time champion Verstappen had an off in the morning.

A red flag was reported at 9:15am local time (CET), where it was revealed that Verstappen had gone off onto the gravel, although managed to resume. The delay was only brief before the session was given the green light once again.

Who will take part in Barcelona testing day two?

It has also emerged that several teams will skip running on Tuesday and the second day of the shakedown.

Of course, Williams will not be on track for any of the five days in Barcelona, while Aston Martin will not be seen until later this week, opting to only run for two days.

Alongside these two teams, Alpine, Cadillac, Audi, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, and Haas have also opted out of day two.

Rain was reported from the track on Tuesday morning and further rainfall has been forecast later in the afternoon in Barcelona, with the chance of precipitation rising to 85 per cent by 2pm local time.

This could explain why so many teams have opted against running on Tuesday because, once they leave the garage, it counts as a day of testing, and some may have taken one look at the weather and decided not to gamble an outing.

That then left Red Bull and Ferrari out on track, and potentially McLaren, although after missing day one it is still unknown when the papaya squad will commence running during the shakedown.

According to The Independent, McLaren originally planned on running on Tuesday, but the rain has led to doubt over this appearance.

What is a shakedown?

A shakedown refers to the first time teams can properly run their cars on track, like a pre-season health check.

Teams get the chance to test out all of the new design features on their new cars without limitations, with no maximum limit put on the number of laps they are allowed to do each day.

The private shakedown means the press do not have access, and only a small crew are admitted to film content for teams and drivers.

Nevertheless, Sky Sports F1 will be on hand to guide viewers through the Barcelona shakedown, with a testing highlights show broadcast at 9pm (GMT) every night of the week of the test. The show will then be available on Sky F1's official YouTube channel.

F1 TESTING 2026: Key dates, times and how to watch live

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen pre-season testing Barcelona