McLaren to miss start of testing, Mercedes W17 launch, Hamilton the big loser – roundup

Oliver Harden 22 Jan 2026 8:00 PM

Andrea Stella holds his hands to his head

Andrea Stella has served as McLaren team principal since late 2022

Thursday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Andrea Stella confirming that McLaren will miss the start of F1 2026 pre-season testing in Barcelona as per the team’s schedule.

With Lewis Hamilton branded the big loser after Ferrari’s race engineer change, and the arrival of the Mercedes W17, here’s today’s roundup…

McLaren planning to miss start of Barcelona test

McLaren is planning to miss the start of F1’s first pre-season test in Barcelona next week, team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed.

Teams will be limited to a maximum of three days of running across five available test days between January 26-30.

Stella confirmed to select media including PlanetF1.com that McLaren has no intention of taking to the track on the first day of testing – and may not leave the garage until day three of five.

Mercedes launches W17 car for F1 2026

The Mercedes F1 team has unveiled the new W17 car for the F1 2026 season.

Much is expected of Mercedes ahead of the new season after being limited to just seven wins across F1’s ground-effect era between 2022 and 2025.

Mercedes was named in recent reports that some engine manufacturers have identified a loophole in the new engine rules.

What to expect from the Ferrari SF-26

Ferrari will launch its F1 2026 car, the SF-26, on Friday.

A number of design details have emerged about the SF-26 in recent months, with Ferrari’s new engine expected to be particularly innovative.

Ahead of launch day, PlanetF1.com has rounded up everything you need to know about the SF-26 in one place.

Limited coverage expected for first Bahrain F1 2026 test

Limited television coverage is expected to continue at the second F1 2026 pre-season in Bahrain next month, PlanetF1.com has learned.

Testing has been broadcast live in full over recent years, with three days of winter testing held in Bahrain since 2023.

PlanetF1.com understands that only the final hour of each day’s running at the first Bahrain test – due to be held across February 11-13 – will be broadcast live. Full live coverage is expected to return for the final test at the same venue on February 18-20.