Mercedes’ momentum from a flawless opening day of Barcelona running was abruptly halted on Tuesday – not by technical trouble, but by poor weather rolling in over Catalunya.
As rain clouds gathered over the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Silver Arrows confirmed they would sit out the second day of Formula 1’s private 2026 shakedown, deciding that wet conditions would offer little value for a programme focused on understanding an entirely new generation of cars.
Tuesday morning brought a reshuffle of plans up and down the pit lane. Mercedes and Haas both confirmed they would not take to the track, while McLaren was still weighing whether conditions justified running at all.
For Mercedes, the call was straightforward. With rain forecast to worsen through the afternoon, the team opted to protect both mileage plans and hardware rather than circulate in conditions unlikely to produce representative data from its new W17.
“With rain forecast for this afternoon, we've opted to postpone our second day of running and therefore won't be on track today,” the team said in a brief statement.
The decision followed an encouraging Monday for the Brackley-based outfit. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli completed a combined 149 laps, with the W17 emerging as one of the most reliable cars of the opening day – a significant early statement in the first week of the new regulations.
Haas Pours Over Data - Ferrari On Track
Haas’ absence, by contrast, had little to do with the weather. The American squad revealed that Tuesday had always been earmarked as a non-running day, allowing engineers time to pore over the substantial haul of data gathered on Monday.
Esteban Ocon’s long stints helped the team rack up 154 laps, leaving plenty to analyse before returning to the track later in the week.
While some garages stayed closed, others pressed on regardless.
Ferrari officially joined the shakedown on Tuesday, with Charles Leclerc taking the SF-26 out for its first laps in anger.
Red Bull also continued its programme, handing the RB22 over to Max Verstappen after Isack Hadjar topped Monday’s unofficial order.
The wider picture remains fragmented. Williams is not present in Barcelona at all, while Aston Martin confirmed late on Monday that it will only participate in the final two days of running as it works to finalise its new car.
For Mercedes, patience won out – confident that, after a strong start, clearer skies will offer more meaningful answers as the week unfolds.
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