The 2026 Era Deserved a Grand Reveal—Not a Private Shakedown
At the end of last year it was announced that Formula 1 would launch its new era of regulations with three weeks of on track testing. However, to the confusion of many fans it was declared that the first test would be held behind closed doors at Barcelona’s Circuit to Catalunya. This private test, which came to be known as the Shakedown, wasn’t broadcast online and media outlets were unable to attend the event. As a result of this, coverage of the event was extremely limited, leaving many fans (including myself) feeling frustrated during a time of the year which is usually an extremely exciting time for the sport.