Hamilton and Leclerc offer their initial verdict on Ferrari’s 2026 F1 challenger
Ferrari began its on‑track preparations for the 2026 Formula One season with a solid opening day of running at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya, as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc shared driving duties in the team’s radically new‑generation car.
With sweeping regulation changes reshaping both chassis and power unit concepts for 2026, the team approached the first day with a focus on systems checks, correlation work, and reliability rather than performance. Mixed weather conditions added complexity, but Ferrari still logged valuable mileage and completed its planned programme.
Charles Leclerc reflected positively on his first laps in the new machine. “It was good to be back in the car and to start learning a completely new package.
"Today was about system checks and understanding how everything works, rather than performance, especially with the mixed conditions. We completed our programme and everything behaved as expected, which is a positive start and a solid base to build on.”
Lewis Hamilton, making his official debut in Ferrari colours, echoed the sense of constructive progress. “It was an intense but productive first day, especially with the mixed weather conditions.
"We managed to get good mileage on the car and gather a lot of useful information, which is important with such a big regulation change. There were no major issues and that gives us a solid foundation to keep learning and building over the next days.”
Ferrari’s Head of Track Engineering, Matteo Togninalli, emphasised the importance of reliability and data gathering at this early stage. “Considering the conditions, it was a productive day for us.
Despite the rain, we completed solid mileage and, most importantly, had no major reliability issues, which is the key priority with a new car and power unit.
"It’s still very early to talk about performance: the focus now is on understanding the car, learning its behaviour and building knowledge step by step over the coming days focusing on ourselves.”
