F1 news: Lewis Hamilton signals optimism after first Ferrari run of 2026
Lewis Hamilton’s first taste of Ferrari machinery for the 2026 Formula One season delivered more reassurance than concern, even if the conditions in Barcelona were far from ideal.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Noah Ngcobo breaks down the key takeaways from Hamilton’s opening Ferrari outing and what it could mean heading into the new era.
Touchdown in Catalunya
The seven-time world champion took part in Ferrari’s shakedown test at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, marking his first meaningful on-track action of the year in the team’s new car.
Ferrari split running duties across the day, with Charles Leclerc driving in the morning before Hamilton climbed into the cockpit in the afternoon.
While Leclerc benefited from dry conditions early on, Hamilton’s session was dominated by persistent rain that transformed the test into a wet-weather challenge.
Wet conditions shape a demanding test
Rain began falling mid-morning and never truly relented during Hamilton’s time on track. That meant his entire programme focused on low grip running, tyre behaviour, and system checks rather than outright pace.
Despite the limitations, Ferrari managed to complete a healthy number of laps across both drivers.
Hamilton alone logged 57 laps in the afternoon, while the team finished the day with a combined total of 123 laps.
Given the conditions and a brief red flag interruption, the mileage was viewed internally as a strong outcome.
The Briton described the day as demanding but worthwhile, highlighting the value of learning how the car responds in difficult circumstances.
Working through tyre warm-up issues and balance changes in the wet provided data that could prove valuable once the season begins.
Positive early signals from a new package
Ferrari enter 2026 under sweeping regulation changes, making early reliability and baseline understanding critical.
Hamilton was encouraged that the car ran smoothly throughout the session, with no major technical setbacks interrupting the programme.
He stressed that while there is still extensive development work to come, the foundations appear solid.
Rather than uncovering serious flaws, the focus was on fine-tuning small areas and gathering information that will shape the next steps of development.
Hamilton also praised the effort behind the scenes, pointing to the work done at the factory to ensure the car was ready to run without drama on its first proper outing.
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Leclerc and Ferrari keep focus on learning
Leclerc, who handled the morning session in dry conditions, set Ferrari’s quickest time of the day, though lap times were never the priority.
His best effort remained well adrift of the overall pace set by Max Verstappen, reinforcing that performance comparisons were largely irrelevant at this early stage.
The Monegasque echoed Hamilton’s measured optimism, explaining that the primary objective was to understand a completely new car rather than chase lap time.
System checks, balance evaluation, and overall behaviour took precedence, especially with changing weather throughout the day.
Ferrari’s engineering leadership struck a similarly cautious tone. Head of track engineering Matteo Togninalli underlined that it is far too early to draw conclusions about competitiveness.
The immediate goal is to build knowledge methodically and focus inward as the team learns how the car responds across different conditions.
Confidence builds ahead of the season opener
After a difficult 2025 campaign in which Ferrari failed to win a race, and Hamilton endured a podium-free debut season with the team, early optimism matters.
With the Australian Grand Prix now just weeks away, the mood in the Ferrari camp is one of calm progression rather than bold prediction.
Hamilton left Barcelona encouraged by what he experienced, realistic about the work ahead, and confident that Ferrari have given themselves a stable platform to develop from.
If the opening test is any indication, the Scuderia have begun its 2026 journey on steady footing, even if the rain tried its best to complicate the story.
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