Persistent rain defined day two of Formula 1’s closed-door 2026 shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with only Red Bull and Ferrari taking to the track.
Max Verstappen completed limited running for Red Bull in the morning, though his session was briefly interrupted when he slid into the gravel at Turn 5 on his out lap, prompting the first red flag of the day.
Verstappen later handed the RB22 over to Hadjar in the afternoon as conditions worsened, with the Frenchman tasked with gaining wet-weather experience.
With less than 30 minutes remaining, Hadjar lost control at Turn 14, the fast right-hander leading onto the main straight.
His car slid through the gravel and hit the barriers backwards, triggering a red flag and bringing Red Bull’s day to a premature end.
Images circulating on social media after the incident showed the RB22 missing its rear wing as it was recovered, though Hadjar was confirmed to be uninjured.
The cause of the crash has not been confirmed, but the conditions proved challenging throughout the day.
Hadjar’s accident marked his first as a Red Bull F1 driver and halted what had otherwise been a promising start to the team’s Barcelona program.
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Red Bull is the only team to have run on both Monday and Tuesday, meaning it has now used two of its three permitted days during the five-day Barcelona test.
That gives the team flexibility in choosing when to complete its final day, but the damage from Hadjar’s crash may influence that decision.
Team principal Laurent Mekies said the immediate priority was assessing the extent of the damage.
“The priority right now, as we speak tonight, is to assess the damage on the car, is to see what does it give to us in terms of opportunities to run in the next days,” Mekies said.
“We only have one day left, so we have to make sure we play that card carefully and it’s an analysis that will take still a few hours.”
Despite the setback, Mekies stressed that Hadjar’s crash came after an encouraging opening day.
“It was very tricky conditions this afternoon, so very unfortunate that it finished that way, but it’s part of the game,” he added.
“These difficulties came after a very, very positive day yesterday in terms of the number of laps Isack could complete in the car.”
Ferrari, meanwhile, pressed ahead with its first on-track running of the shakedown.
Charles Leclerc was the first to emerge when the circuit went live, completing extensive mileage in the SF-26 despite worsening weather.
The Monegasque described the focus of Ferrari’s day as system checks rather than performance.
“[It’s] nice to be back in the car – back in a very, very all-new car, and very different to what we’ve been driving so far,” Leclerc said.
“For now it’s all about trying to understand if everything is working properly, which it kind of did.”
Leclerc acknowledged the conditions were far from ideal but said the team stuck closely to its plan.
“It’s not the best conditions because it’s been a little bit raining this morning, but actually we did our program anyway because we’re not focused on performance whatsoever,” he said.
“We’re more about looking at all the systems that are new on this car and see if everything works as it should, and it did so that’s a positive.”
Lewis Hamilton took over driving duties in the afternoon and continued Ferrari’s running as rain intensified.
The seven-time world champion said adapting to the conditions provided valuable learning for the team.
“Very challenging today, because it started raining at 10.30am – obviously Charles had a little bit of dry running then it’s been wet all afternoon,” Hamilton said.
“Figuring out how to get the tyres working was really productive.”
Hamilton added that completing significant mileage under the circumstances was an encouraging sign.
“Given it’s in the wet conditions and we had a red flag, I think that’s pretty solid, so I’m really proud of everyone back at the factory for getting the car to this point,” he said.
Day three of the Barcelona shakedown takes place on Wednesday, with McLaren expected to make its first appearance of the week as teams continue to work through early programs ahead of the 2026 season.
Results: Formula 1 pre-season shakedown Day 2 (unofficial)
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:19.578s | 27 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:20.844 | 66 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:31.891s | 51 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:32.872s | 57 |
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