Ferrari and Red Bull brave rain as Hadjar crashes during Barcelona shakedown

The second day of Formula 1's shakedown week at the Circuit de Catalunya was a wet and truncated affair, with Ferrari and Red Bull leading the charge while others like Haas and Mercedes stayed in the garage. Lewis Hamilton made his debut appearance in the Ferrari, logging 56 laps in the afternoon, while Red Bull's running was marred by a late crash for reserve driver Isack Hadjar. Despite the tricky conditions, Ferrari managed a solid 120 laps combined between Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, whereas Red Bull's incident brought a premature end to their session.

Why it matters:

With the new regulations bringing massive changes, these early shakedowns are critical for validating new power units and aerodynamic concepts before the season starts. Ferrari's decision to run in the rain and complete significant mileage suggests a level of reliability that will be crucial for the upcoming campaign. Conversely, Red Bull's crash highlights the fine line between development and disaster during these initial tests, though their prior mileage mitigates the immediate impact.

The details:

• Ferrari's Progress: Charles Leclerc kicked off the morning session, completing 64 laps before handing over to Hamilton. The seven-time champion completed 56 laps in the afternoon, working with engineer Bryan Bozzi rather than his new race engineer for this shakedown.
• Red Bull's Setback: Max Verstappen managed 27 laps in the wet morning conditions. However, the afternoon session was cut short when Isack Hadjar spun at Turn 14, heavily damaging the rear wing. Red Bull confirmed he was uninjured.
• Team Strategies: Haas sat out after a massive 154 laps on Monday, while Mercedes and others like Audi and Cadillac stayed dry. McLaren is preparing to run from Wednesday through Friday.
• Unofficial Times: Despite the weather, Verstappen set a benchmark of 1m19.578s, with Leclerc close behind at 1m20.578s, though performance runs were not the priority.

What's next:

Attention now turns to the rest of the week, where McLaren is expected to debut its car with a mature specification aimed at the opening races. Williams remains the only team yet to confirm a track appearance, with their arrival expected no earlier than Thursday.