McLaren confirm F1 testing plan after Barcelona absence

McLaren F1 team have confirmed their plans for testing after missing two days of the private Barcelona shakedown.

Prior to the week of testing in Barcelona (running from January 26 until January 30), McLaren announced they would not partake on the first day of running on Monday.

Although the shakedown takes place over five days, teams are only permitted three days of testing, although these three can take place whenever the teams choose.

Speaking before the test, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: "We plan to start testing either on day two or day three. We will not be testing on day one.

"We wanted to give ourselves as much time as possible for development. We will start from either day two or day three, and we will test for three days."

There were reports that McLaren could begin testing for day two on Tuesday, however, rain started to fall in the morning and was forecast well into the rest of the afternoon, throwing doubt over their appearance.

Now, according to Sky Sports, McLaren have confirmed their testing plan. The MCL40 will not run on Tuesday due to the changeable weather conditions, and the squad are instead using their time at the track for static tests in the garage.

The reigning world champions later confirmed they would take to the track for the first time in 2026 on day three of the Barcelona shakedown, Wednesday, January 28.

A team statement read: "With track testing for the 2026 season underway and the permitted running time limited to three days over a five-day period, the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team have approached this week’s Barcelona Shakedown utilising the full flexibility of the programme.

"We plan to run on track for the final three days of testing, while the opening days have provided an important opportunity for the full car to be assembled and checked."

Who has tested on day two in Barcelona?

Sky Sports continue that rivals Ferrari and Red Bull have remained out on track during the mixed conditions, with Charles Leclerc reportedly competing 64 laps and Max Verstappen 27. They also reported Lewis Hamilton's appearance on track during the afternoon running on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, rival F1 teams such as Aston Martin will miss at least one of their allotted three test days, and will not run their car before Thursday (day four) at the earliest.

Williams will miss the Barcelona shakedown entirely after confirming in a statement prior to the test: "Atlassian Williams F1 Team has taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 programme as we continue to push for maximum car performance.

"The team will instead conduct a series of tests including a VTT programme next week with the 2026 car to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the first race of the season in Melbourne.

"We are looking forward to getting on track in the coming weeks and want to thank all our fans for your continued support – there is a lot to look forward to together in 2026."

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.

READ MORE: Verstappen wobbles as Barcelona outing ends with crash

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