Red Bull to miss another day of 2026 F1 testing after crash

Red Bull will sit out Thursday's running at the first 2026 pre-season test in Barcelona, marking its second consecutive day lost as it awaits critical spare parts following a heavy crash for new driver Isack Hadjar. The team is scrambling to repair the car in time for a final push on Friday, with Max Verstappen slated for a full day of running. Haas and Alpine are also adjusting their schedules, while other teams continue their programs on a mixed-weather day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Why it matters:

Pre-season testing is a precious and limited commodity, with only three days allocated per team to understand their new cars. Losing nearly two full days of running represents a significant setback for Red Bull's development program, putting pressure on its final day to gather essential data. For a team with championship ambitions, any delay in solving reliability issues or understanding car performance can have ripple effects into the early races of the season.

The details:

• The disruption stems from a major crash on Tuesday afternoon involving rookie Isack Hadjar. He lost control at the final corner in wet conditions, resulting in a heavy rear-impact with the tire barriers.
• The damage was extensive, breaking multiple components and forcing the team to manufacture and ship new parts overnight, a process that has extended into Thursday.
• The team's plan is to have the parts arrive and fitted for a return to the track on Friday, which is expected to be Max Verstappen's first full day in the 2026 car after a brief run on Tuesday morning.
• Red Bull is not alone in skipping Thursday. Haas will also sit out after Ollie Bearman encountered mechanical issues on Wednesday, while Alpine has chosen to preserve its last permitted test day for Friday, anticipating slightly better weather conditions.
• On track, Cadillac's Sergio Perez, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, and McLaren's Oscar Piastri were among those logging valuable mileage, with Aston Martin preparing to debut its new car later in the day.

What's next:

All eyes will be on Red Bull's garage on Friday to see if the team can execute a flawless final day of testing with Verstappen. The compressed schedule means every lap will be crucial for data collection. For the other teams, the final day represents a last chance to conduct race simulations, test set-up extremes, and finalize their understanding of the new regulations before the cars are shipped to the season opener.