Two teams are set to skip the fourth day of testing in Barcelona: here is who they are and why. Haas and Red Bull have both confirmed that they will not be running on track today and will instead wait until the final day to complete their respective testing programmes.
Red Bull’s Tuesday test session came to an end following an accident involving Isack Hadjar, and for this very reason the team will not take to the track today. The squad is still waiting for replacement parts for the French driver’s car to arrive at the circuit.
The Milton Keynes-based team has already completed two of the three planned days of running, gathering important data on Monday and Tuesday. However, Isack Hadjar’s mistake, which sent him off the track, abruptly brought their second session to an end and caused significant damage to the new car.
The Austrian team had already confirmed that it would not be running yesterday, Wednesday, as it was still evaluating how best to manage and set up the car. Now, according to reports from several sources, the decision has been taken to also skip today, the fourth day of testing, in the hope of returning to the track tomorrow.
The spare parts are expected to arrive at the circuit later in the day, which should allow Red Bull to complete the repairs on Hadjar’s car and return to action for the final day of testing.
Finally, according to a brief announcement released by the American team earlier today, Haas will also not take part in the fourth day on track and will aim to complete its programme on Friday. Haas has already run on Monday and Wednesday, describing the one-day break as “a planned decision”, with the “team focused on analysing all the data collected so far”.
“Good morning! We can only confirm that we will not be on track today. We will use Friday as our final day of testing,” the team communicated briefly this morning.
As the Barcelona shakedown nears its conclusion, these strategic pauses highlight the logistical challenges teams face with the brand-new 2026 hardware. For Red Bull, the focus is purely on restoration and ensuring they don’t lose any further developmental ground after Isack Hadjar‘s shunt. Meanwhile, Haas appears content to digest their data and prepare for a final push. Both teams will be looking toward Friday to maximize their final miles before the paddock transitions to the more formal testing environment in Bahrain. With the clock ticking, every hour in the garage spent on repairs or data analysis is a race against time to be ready for the season opener.
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