Barcelona crash forces Red Bull out of F1 testing

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Barcelona crash forces Red Bull out of testing

Red Bull will be absent on day three of testing

By Sheona Mountford.

Wednesday 28 January 2026 19:00

Red Bull have been absent on the third day of Formula 1 testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday, January 28.

Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar have both taken to the track in the RB22 on Monday and Tuesday, with the duo completing a combined total of 192 laps across the two sessions. Of those, 165 laps were logged by Hadjar.

On Monday, Hadjar set a (all times are unofficial) a time of 1:18.159 and on Tuesday a 1:31.891. Verstappen set a time of 1:19.578 on Tuesday.

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Thus far, the reliability of their brand new DM01 engine has impressed rivals and pundits alike, albeit with the caveat that this is testing.

Nevertheless, on Tuesday both Verstappen and Hadjar caused two separate red flags, with the Dutchman spinning into the gravel and his team-mate crashing out at the end of the day.

Red Bull to miss day three of Barcelona shakedown

According to Dutch journalist Erik van Haren, Red Bull will not be testing on day three of the Barcelona shakedown because the 'team hopes to prepare the car for later this week after Hadjar's crash, so Verstappen can drive another day.'

F1 teams are permitted a total of three days testing across the five days of the Barcelona shakedown, with both Thursday and Friday left for Red Bull to return to the track.

Teams such as McLaren and Aston Martin are yet to take to the track, with McLaren undergoing their first day of testing on Wednesday. Aston Martin will only test for two days and are expected to debut their challenger on Thursday.

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 Red Bull Max Verstappen Isack Hadjar pre-season testing