With the first official F1 test underway, let's look back at the opening day of testing and see what we learned!

F1 2026 begins as cars take to the track!

The 2026 season can now officially be considered underway, with seven of the 11 teams taking to the circuit today. The circuit was initially relatively damp from some overnight rain, with drivers tentatively making their way around the Barcelona track.

Several teams were ready to get going right away when the pit lane light went green, with Mercedes, Audi and Alpine being the first to hit the track.

Audi run into problems on track!

Audi's first official appearance on track was interesting, with Gabriel Bortoleto at the wheel. Bortoleto reported fastest time was a 1:25.296.

The car also came to a halt at Turn 10 with a little over an hour remaining in the morning session.

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Haas share trackside photos of the VF-26

Haas shared their very first images of the VF-26 on track, with Esteban Ocon at the wheel during the Barcelona tests. Ocon did the most laps in the morning session, setting 66 laps overall, which is the equivalent to an entire race distance around Barcelona.

During the afternoon session, Haas shared another photo to their social media platforms, showing the VF-26 going through the opening chicane.

Mercedes release first trackside photos of the W17

Mercedes have also released their first official trackside images from Barcelona.

Both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell got behind the wheel of the W17 on Monday, with Antonelli taking to the Barcelona circuit in the morning, and Russell in the afternoon. The Italian's quickest lap was reportedly a 1:20.700.

During the afternoon, Russell set an unofficial time of 1:18.696.

Cadillac make their debut!

Cadillac were also out on track today, with both drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez taking to the circuit. The American team managed to gather a lot of data, despite both drivers setting some of the slower lap times compared to the competition.

Speaking after the morning session, Bottas revealed: "The priority list now - is to get more laps each day. We need to get some proper running in, get the mileage in and make sure we can get a reliable package for race 1."

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