Verstappen Spins, Hadjar Crashes on Rain-Soaked Day Two of Barcelona Shakedown
A brief wobble from Max Verstappen and a late crash for his new Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar were the standout moments from a dramatic, weather-hit second day of Formula 1’s private 2026 shakedown in Barcelona.
Heavy rain and unstable conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya severely limited running on Tuesday, with only Ferrari and Red Bull choosing to venture out. While nine teams elected to sit out the day entirely, the two outfits pressed on despite the challenging weather, providing the only meaningful on-track action.
Red Bull split their programme between Verstappen in the morning and Hadjar in the afternoon, continuing momentum from Monday when the highly rated rookie topped the timesheets in dry conditions. Ferrari, meanwhile, ran both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in the all-new SF-26 as they gathered valuable early data ahead of the radical 2026 regulation overhaul.
The rest of the grid opted for caution. With teams restricted to just three days of running across the five-day Barcelona shakedown, most were unwilling to sacrifice precious track time on a wet and unpredictable surface. McLaren, the reigning world champions, will instead begin their 2026 programme on Wednesday and run through to Friday. Williams had already confirmed their absence from all five days due to delays with their new car, while Aston Martin are scheduled to run only on Thursday and Friday.
Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Audi, Cadillac and Alpine all stayed in the garage on Tuesday, while Haas confirmed in advance that they never intended to run on the second day.
As a result, just four drivers—Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen and Hadjar—took to the circuit, completing a relatively modest number of laps. Despite the limited running, reliability remained encouraging given the scale of technical changes for 2026 and the restricted preparation time teams have had so far.
Leclerc completed the most mileage of the day, logging 64 laps in Ferrari’s SF-26, while Verstappen managed 27 laps in Red Bull’s RB22. Hamilton also spent time on track as Ferrari continued to gather baseline data in difficult conditions.
Verstappen’s session was briefly interrupted after he lost control early in the morning, spinning off into the gravel at Turn 5. The incident brought out a short red flag but caused no significant damage, allowing the reigning world champion to resume his programme shortly afterwards. Red Bull treated the moment as a minor setback rather than a cause for concern.
The most serious incident came late in the afternoon when Hadjar crashed at Turn 14, hitting the barriers and triggering the second red flag of the day. The impact brought Red Bull’s running to an early end. Sky Sports F1 later confirmed that the crash resulted in damage to the rear wing and suspension.
Dutch journalist Erik van Haren reported that Hadjar was unhurt, stating: “Hadjar crashed towards the end of the second day of testing. He is physically unharmed.” While the accident cut short Red Bull’s plans, the team will be relieved that their driver escaped without injury.
Both Ferrari and Red Bull used up one of their three permitted shakedown days on Tuesday. Ferrari now have two days remaining, while Red Bull are down to just one remaining opportunity to run before the week concludes.
The Barcelona shakedown serves as a crucial first on-track evaluation for the new generation of Formula 1 cars. Often described as a technical “health check,” it allows teams to assess new concepts, systems and reliability without lap limits, albeit behind closed doors with minimal media access.
Although private, the shakedown continues to generate intrigue, with Sky Sports F1 providing nightly highlights and analysis as the sport takes its first cautious steps toward the landmark 2026 season.
