Quicker On Straights, Slower In Corners, More Predictable: F1 Drivers On New 2026 Cars

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2026

Drivers reported their new cars for the 2026 Formula 1 season feel very different after the first day of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Seven teams joined the track as the five-day test began on Monday. F1 officially refers to the test as a “shakedown”, though most teams conducted shakedown runs of their new cars in filming days prior to this week’s running.

Pre-season testing has begun earlier and will last longer than usual this year as teams get to grips with the first cars they have designed for F1’s new rules. These include overhauled power units, simplified under-body aerodynamics and moveable front and rear wings.

Valtteri Bottas, who is returning to F1 with Cadillac this year, said there is “definitely a big difference to before.”

“The cars handle different, you have a bit less load especially in the high-speed corners,” he told the official F1 channel. With the PU [power unit], you have so much more torque out of the corners, but then you have the battery to manage.”

The previous generation of cars relied heavily on shaped floors to produce a ‘ground effect’ and generate more downforce. However drivers often complained this created unpredictability in the cars’ handling.

New Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar said this trait in the cars’ handling has improved.

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“There’s definitely a lot less load in general,” he said, “and it’s a bit more predictable compared to the previous generation of cars. They are more simple, it’s easier to play around with them.

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull, Circuit de Catalunya, 2026 — Hadjar said his car felt more predictable

“Also on the PU side there’s a lot more options for the driver to play with. I already started to work on it today so that was very interesting.”

Mercedes split their first day of running between George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Russell said he was impressed by the straight-line performance of the new cars.

“The amount of power they give is pretty impressive,” he said. “For all the cars I was watching today with all the different power units, it’s probably the quickest I’ve ever seen an F1 car pass here in Barcelona, so that was pretty exciting to see.”

The new rules have also reduced the dimensions of the cars and specified a lower minimum weight limit. “The cars do generally feel like you feel it being smaller,” said Russell. “You can feel that weight reduction compared to previous years. So I think from that aspect as well, it’s gone in a good direction.”