Aston Martin set to skip first two days of F1 2026 Barcelona test

Aston Martin is set to skip the opening two days of the first 2026 Formula 1 pre-season test in Barcelona, Autosport understands. 

F1 is currently hosting a five-day shakedown at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (26-30 January), ahead of further tests in Bahrain (11-13 and 18-20 February) before the forthcoming campaign. 

This season will introduce widespread regulation changes and as a result, the Catalan test is being held behind closed doors with teams permitted a maximum three days of running. 

It is already known that Mercedes, Audi, Alpine, Haas, Cadillac, Racing Bulls and Red Bull are out on track during the first day, with McLaren and Ferrari set to start on Tuesday. 

Williams, meanwhile, announced last week that it was skipping Barcelona “to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain” with a series of virtual tests “following delays in the FW48 programme”.

The only team whose plan is not entirely known is Aston Martin, but Autosport can reveal that it will not be seen in Barcelona until Wednesday at the earliest, with Thursday being a genuine possibility. 

Mercedes W17 Barcelona test

Photo by: Formula 1

That is despite the Silverstone outfit’s hospitality and support structures being present at the track, but it is understood that Aston’s situation is similar to that of Williams with delays in development.

The 2026 regulations are proving a huge challenge for all teams with changes across the whole car: the chassis is now lighter and smaller, while power units feature more electric energy with a near 50-50 split alongside the internal combustion engine.

A car chassis becoming lighter is already proving difficult for teams, as they are struggling to meet the reduced minimum weight of 768kg - last year it was 800kg.

There is also the added complication at Aston Martin that it is partnering with a new power unit supplier this year, as it is becoming a Honda works’ outfit rather than its previous guise as a Mercedes customer team. 

This comes alongside a new team principal in Adrian Newey, who is stepping into the team boss role for the first time following decades of being a championship-winning designer. 

The expectations at Aston Martin are therefore huge for the coming years, especially following significant investment from billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, but it may not meet the three days of track time in Barcelona this week.