Isack Hadjar: “We did many more laps than expected.” – The first day of Formula 1’s winter testing in Barcelona is traditionally about caution rather than drawing conclusions. Teams arrive with brand-new cars and unfamiliar power units, and their checklist is focused on reliability rather than outright speed. Yet on 26 January, Red Bull Racing managed to tick every box, and then some, with Isack Hadjar emerging as the paddock’s quiet benchmark.
The 21-year-old Frenchman, who is entering his first full season at the top level, set the fastest time of the day in the RB22. Although lap times from winter testing carry no official status and offer little predictive value, Hadjar’s performance nonetheless provided a morale boost for Red Bull Racing and its new Red Bull Powertrains-Ford project.
Red Bull’s impressive first day with in-house power unit’
“To be honest, we were able to complete far more laps than expected,” said Hadjar after stepping out of the car. “The whole process went quite smoothly.”
This smoothness was perhaps the most impressive element of Red Bull’s opening day. Hadjar completed an extensive programme without interruption, logging more than 100 laps — a rare achievement for a brand-new car and power unit.
“Sure, we had one or two minor problems,’ he added, ‘but they were really just small things. I find that quite impressive for a first day with our own engine.”
READ MORE – First images and lap times from F1 Barcelona pre-season test
Early impressions of the 2026 machinery
Beyond the stopwatch, Hadjar also offered valuable insight into the behaviour of the new generation of Formula 1 cars. Compared to the often unpredictable 2025 models, the RB22 already appears more forgiving and responsive.
“The cars react more predictably than a 2025 race car,” the Parisian explained. “I can play with them more easily. Of course, all the controls are far more complex than before, and I tried experimenting with all the different power unit settings today, it’s very interesting.”
Hadjar, who finished 12th in the 2025 World Championship, was careful to keep expectations in check.
“The drivability is decent. I don’t think it’s miles away from what we were used to. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but for a first day it was very solid.”
This view was echoed across the paddock. Teams agreed that the Barcelona test was about understanding the new systems and ironing out early issues, with genuine performance comparisons not expected until the Bahrain test in two weeks’ time.
Verstappen’s rivals are confused by the Sidepod trick
While Hadjar’s lap count impressed the engineers, the RB22’s bodywork left the rivals perplexed. When Red Bull Racing released the first images of its 2026 car on the morning of 26 January, the photos were carefully lit and shadowed in such a way as to reveal little of the car’s true shape.
The reality, unveiled on the track in Barcelona, proved far more aggressive.
The most striking feature was the dramatically reduced sidepod volume, particularly towards the rear of the car. Red Bull has taken the classic ‘coke bottle’ concept to the extreme by aggressively narrowing the bodywork to maximise airflow towards the diffuser and rear floor.
This was only possible thanks to a bold internal packaging solution. By rearranging the radiators and heat exchangers, Red Bull’s engineers have created significantly more freedom for the aerodynamicists, a hallmark of the team’s design philosophy during the Max Verstappen era.
Interestingly, the air intake above the driver’s head is smaller than on the Racing Bulls car, despite both teams using the same Red Bull Powertrains-Ford power unit. This suggests that Red Bull Racing has pursued a more radical cooling layout, even within the same engine family.
READ MORE – Ferrari insider reveals: Team Plays It Cool as Mercedes Engine “Trick” Sparks F1 Row
Echoes of Mercedes, with a Red Bull twist
The RB22’s slim sidepods inevitably draw comparisons with Mercedes’ controversial “size-zero” concept from the 2022 season. That experiment ultimately failed, leaving the Silver Arrows struggling with instability and inconsistent performance.
However, Red Bull appears confident that lessons from the past, both their own and their rivals’, have been learned. Unlike Mercedes in 2022, Red Bull has paired its aggressive aerodynamic concept with a proven understanding of ground-effect behaviour, designing the chassis around this philosophy from the outset.
Whether this approach will remain effective over longer distances and on different circuits remains to be seen, but the initial execution has clearly unsettled the competition.
MORE NEWS – Red Bull Raise Eyebrows with Extreme Tyre Choice for Barcelona Test
Power unit politics and a strong first statement
Behind the scenes, tensions remain over the new power unit regulations. Several manufacturers, notably Ferrari, Honda and Audi, continue to express frustration over what they see as Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains-Ford having an advantage in terms of compression.
The FIA has made its stance clear so far: no regulatory changes are planned. This has fuelled speculation that Mercedes-powered teams, including McLaren, Alpine and Williams, along with Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, may have an unassailable advantage.
On the track, at least, Red Bull’s power unit made a compelling first impression. Both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls ran reliably throughout the day, with Hülkenberg completing an impressive 107 laps.
In winter testing, reliability is credibility, and on day one in Barcelona, Red Bull Racing delivered both.
NEXT ARTICLE – F1 engine row won’t be resolved before Melbourne as FIA fail to find agreement
A tale as old as time in Formula One Racing erupted just before Christmas as the teams geared up for huge new regulation changes for both chassis and powertrains. Unlike Indycar, Formula One is not a ‘spec’ series which means each of the teams takes on a tome of specifications issued by the FIA and designs its own interpretation of the rules.
From the ground effect cars of the late 1970’s, to the Williams genius designs with sophisticated electronic aids such as active suspension in the 1990’s and more recently the Brawn double diffuser (2009), McLaren’s “F-Duct” (2010) and Red Bull’s exhaust blown diffusers (2010-2013), the F1 engineers with rocket science like vision a renown for finding loopholes in any new rules which can be exploited for their advantage.
With one of the biggest technical specifications rule changes in the history of the sport coming this season, its no wonder that once again certain teams will push the boundaries of the conundrum set for them by the FIA.
Irony as manufacturers fail to agree a solution
Mercedes (and to some extent Red Bull Racing) have been accused of breaching the spirit of the 2026 PU regulations by finding a ‘cheat’ to beat the FIA’s compression tests for the new internal combustion engines (ICE). This relies on clever metallurgic elements used which when heated to racing temperature expand thus increasing the maximum compression ratios allowed by the FIA of 16.1.
The test for the compression ratio’s was set out early last season and it states it will take place at ambient temperature when the powertrains are ‘cold.’ A rogue ex-Mercedes engineer recruited by Red Bull Racing has allegedly spilled the beans on the trick, allowing Red Bull Powertrains to make progress in this area too.
Ferrari, Audi and Honda are furious and a meeting yesterday between the FIA and the manufacturers was intended to calm troubled waters. It was suggested that the FIA fit sensors in the compression chambers of each PU to monitor live the pressures whilst the cars are on track.
Yet ironically, these same manufacturers were called to a meeting in Bahrain last season, where the FIA requested they consider allowing the electrical output of the new PU’s to be reduced. More than one refused to play ball (Honda and Audi) meaning no rule change could take place until at least 2027…CONTINUE TO READ THIS STORY
Craig.J. Alderson is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Craig oversees newsroom operations and coordinates editorial output across the site. With a background in online sports reporting and motorsport magazine editing, he plays a key role in maintaining consistency, speed, and accuracy in TJ13’s coverage.
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