The new technical era of F1 begins in two weeks. Two weeks remain until the week of testing of the new generation of Formula 1 cars, actually five days, which will take place on the Montmelò circuit, a few kilometers from Barcelona. From Monday 26 January until Friday 30 the new single-seaters will take to the track at the Circuit de Catalunya for the first laps of the new season. There is a lot of anticipation because, as is known, these will be entirely new cars, designed according to the dictates of the new technical regulation which has sent the capricious ground effect cars into retirement, introducing a notable series of innovations both in the aerodynamic, automotive and chemical fields, considering the new sustainable fuels that will be used. You can find all the articles that go into detail in the “Technical Analysis” section of FormulaPassion.it. What we want to reflect on with you is not so much the technical contents, but rather the fact that, as already communicated for some time by the FIA and Liberty Media, this first test session will take place behind closed doors for the public and the media and without the publication of the lap times. To have official images and photos, or to be able to go to the circuit and sit in the stands, we will have to wait for the two test sessions in Bahrain, on the Sakhir circuit, from 11 to 13 and from 18 to 20 February. What are the real reasons for the Spanish tests behind closed doors? The reasons why it was decided that the first test session should be behind closed doors have never been communicated with great clarity by the FIA. It is clear that these reasons could be different: from the desire of the various teams to maintain a certain confidentiality on the design of such revolutionary cars (in technical content, not in shape), to the choice not to offer media coverage to technical fools if the new single-seaters had serious reliability problems and managed to cover only a few laps of the track. An understandable position in a Formula 1 in which the big car manufacturers are now playing their faces. Another probable reason is the economic one, with the Arabs of Bahrain who will have shelled out bags of petrodollars to have this world exclusive. In short, everything is understandable and understandable, but understandable does not necessarily mean shareable. We are in fact on the eve of the greatest technical transformation of these cars, something that will change Formula 1 forever and on which the FIA and Liberty Media have played a lot and have made massive communication in recent months. Why does Liberty Media, which claims on every occasion to pay attention and listen to the many Formula 1 fans around the world, close its doors to its fans on such a unique occasion? Barcelona is a relatively easy and relatively cheap destination to reach for many Europeans, who are the historical root of Formula 1 fans. However, it is certainly more accessible than Bahrain. It would have been an exceptional opportunity to promote the “new Formula 1” to its spectators and fans, bringing them closer to the new era from day one. It is likely that the grandstands of the Montmelò circuit would have been quite crowded for this test session and, certainly, the first reels of the comments of the drivers as soon as they got out of the car, collected by the media present on the track, would have attracted millions of views. Who isn’t waiting to know if Hamilton will have a Ferrari in his hands that could finally suit him (or vice versa)? Who doesn’t quiver with curiosity to know if the Red Bull Ford will live up to Verstappen’s expectations or if Newey’s Aston Martin will be the revolutionary missile that everyone expects? An unwelcome Lockdown They are all human and technical stories that have represented the lifeblood of Formula 1 for decades and on which, however, on the eve of the richest season ever of these stories, an iron curtain and a media silence is lowered, at least on the days in Barcelona, which clashes with the supposed new communicative wave of Formula 1 which for years has been trying to reach new fans from all over the world, and has also succeeded, not only with the races themselves but also with Netflix products such as “Drive to Survive” or with films like the recent “F1” with Brad Pitt. Well, if you think about it, you might doubt that products based on fiction are fine, according to Liberty Media, for the general public, while the authentic nativity of the new Formula 1 represents something to be preserved, who knows why, from the eyes and ears of those who have become fond of Formula 1, whether for a month, a year or a lifetime. Who knows why, for another month, we should all, enthusiasts and professionals, be satisfied with the images stolen from hundreds of meters of the new single-seaters and intuit the design choices based on interpretations of shadows and chiaroscuro, enlarging the images to the limit of the pixel. Because, returning to the supposed reasons for this “lockdown” that Formula 1 has imposed on itself and is imposing on us in Barcelona, it is really difficult to find them well founded. The risk of embarrassment due to poor reliability is unlikely. Apart from the fact that there would be nothing indecent in having technical problems in this situation, it is difficult to think that the teams could relive suffered and difficult tests, with cars that hiccuped and remained in the pits for a long time, like those on the eve of the 2014 turbo-hybrid season, which also took place on the Spanish track, the last great technical revolution of Formula 1. A good 12 years have passed since then and the technology, as well as the calculation and test models of the reliability of the components, has made monstrous steps forward, so much so that breakdowns are now a rarity even in seasons lasting 24 Grands Prix. The technical departments have simulators and dynamic benches to make entire subsystems of the cars clock up virtual kilometers. So it is very likely that those who predict drivers staying in the pits for long hours in these tests will be proven wrong. Even the issue of privacy, frankly, doesn’t seem to make much sense. It is true that, as there are no accredited photographers or cameras, there will be no official images to spy on, but the teams have had photographers on their staff for years, who even wear the team uniform and whose job is also to “steal” images of their opponents on the track or in the pit lane. Which will be very possible for them, despite the probable use of protective screens in front of the pits themselves when the cars are admitted inside. The first official images are out. Audi Revolut F1 Team on track today in Barcelona for its shakedown. Systems checks. First date. The project moves forward. pic.twitter.com/ADRSBCjjxy— Inside Audi F1 (@InsideAudiF1) January 9, 2026
No cars, yes sponsors. To all this we add the fact that Formula 1 itself, in this Lent of real information that awaits us, will not fail us to have plenty of photos of the team uniforms and presentations of new car liveries for the benefit of the sponsors. We have already started with Audi’s debut in Barcelona, a historic day in its own way, of which fans and media only have beautiful photos of the new sponsored uniforms of the German team. It’s certainly not Audi’s fault, mind you, which must align itself with the embargo until the Bahrain tests that the top Formula has imposed on itself for the images of the new cars. There is no doubt, however, that Liberty Media has decided, for reasons that are difficult not only to share but also to fully understand, that the dawn of the new Formula 1 should not be for the eyes of its many fans, towards whom it professes, in words, unconditional love and eternal gratitude. Sin.
