F1 fans 'threatened with fines' for trying to watch Barcelona testing

F1 Testing 2026

F1 fans 'threatened with fines' for trying to watch Barcelona testing

F1 are working hard to keep pre-season testing private

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 28 January 2026 17:42

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F1 fans have reportedly been 'threatened with fines' for attempting to catch a glimpse of cars on track at this week's Barcelona shakedown.

The first test of the 2026 season is well underway but continues to take place behind closed doors after F1 made the controversial decision to conduct the maiden 2026 pre-season test privately.

To accommodate the demands of this year's major rules reset, there are three times as many testing opportunities for the teams to take advantage of (although Williams have already confirmed they will not be present for any of this week's testing in Barcelona).

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The remaining teams have five days of running to choose from, but they are only permitted to test on a total of three of those days, with Friday marking the final opportunity to test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Monday provided the most ideal weather conditions for testing so far and also for hopeful fans and journalists heading to the circuit in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the private shakedown.

But the Telegraph have claimed these attendees were unsuccessful in trying to watch testing, with a recent report stating: "Fans and journalists who went on Monday to try to catch a glimpse from outside the track were 'moved on', and in some cases threatened with fines for trying to observe the action, even from public areas."

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Various journalists from the UK and international media also reported on their experience of being removed from viewing spots surrounding the Barcelona circuit.

The Race shared a video of journalist Jon Noble recalling his 'cat and mouse' experience with security on the first day of testing, where he called it: "Probably the strangest day of testing I've ever done... good to see the cars briefly before security stopped it."

Noble and other journalists who made the trip to Barcelona were reportedly told, 'any place they could see the track with their own eyes was off limits and banned', with a security car arriving to move them on after the group gathered on a hilltop far outside of the circuit grounds.

The Race said: "The rationale given was essentially that any view of the circuit, even on public land, is owned by the circuit."

Spanish journalist and social media user Nachez98 said that 1 has 'lost its mind' after his experience in Barcelona this week, taking to 'X' to report: "This morning we were 200 meters from the circuit. They kicked us out and we moved to 300 metres, outside the parking. They kicked us out. We set up at 600 metres and they still kicked us out too. Two secret service cars, one Mossos pickup and a Mossos van [the Mossos d’Esquadra are the autonomous police force of Catalonia]. They ID’d some poor lambs who had just arrived and warned them that if they came back it would mean a fine."

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F1 pre-season testing Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya