F1 Testing 2026: Max Verstappen wobbles as Barcelona outing ends with crash

A wobble from Max Verstappen and a crash from team-mate Isack Hadjar on day two of the F1 private shakedown in Barcelona were the main highlights on a rain-affected day.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in their new SF-26, too, but the Scuderia and Red Bull were the only two teams to head out amid the bad weather.

Red Bull—fresh from a Monday in which new star Hadjar set the fastest time—opted to head out in the difficult conditions, with Verstappen taking the morning session, and his new team-mate out again in the afternoon.

The nine other F1 teams opted not to take to the track on Tuesday, with the outfits not wanting to use up one of their allowed three days on a wet, thundery day in Barcelona.

That means that we are still yet to see world champions McLaren, who will instead make their 2026 bow on Wednesday and run straight through to the final day of the shakedown on Friday.

Williams had already confirmed they wouldn't be present at any of the days due to their 2026 machinery not being ready yet, while Aston Martin are only running on Thursday and Friday.

But McLaren, Racing Bulls, Mercedes, Audi, Cadillac and Alpine all made the decision not to run on the rain-affected circuit, whilst Haas have stated they never planned to run on the second day of the shakedown.

What happened in F1 testing today?

Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen and Hadjar were the only four drivers who actually ventured out onto the track on day two, and they didn't complete too many laps given the tricky weather.

Just like on Monday, the reliability of the teams that were present today was impressive considering the regulations overhaul and the limited time they have had on track so far.

Leclerc completed 64 laps in the SF-26, while Verstappen completed 27 laps in his RB22.

Verstappen did, however, cause a red flag with a spin this morning, reportedly heading off into the gravel at Turn 5 early on in the session. The red flag was very brief and Verstappen continued on with his testing programme after the minor wobble.

Arguably the most dramatic moment came in the final hour of the afternoon session, when Hadjar hit the wall at the circuit, bringing out the second red flag of the day and ending Red Bull's day two running. This was later confirmed by Sky Sports F1, who revealed he had broken the rear wing and suspension on his new car.

The incident happened at Turn 14, and a Dutch journalist Erik van Haren reported: "Hadjar crashed towards the end of the second day of testing. He is physically unharmed."

Both Ferrari and Red Bull used up one of their allotted days on Tuesday, with all teams only allowed to compete in a maximum of three of the five days this week in Barcelona. Ferrari still have two remaining, while Red Bull now have just one left.

What is a shakedown?

A shakedown refers to the first time that 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 that they are allowed to do each day.

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

Nevertheless, Sky Sports will be on hand to guide viewers through the Barcelona shakedown, with a testing highlights show broadcast on their Sky Sports F1 channel at 9pm each night. Also keep an eye on their socials for live reaction a little earlier than that.

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