Lewis Hamilton Hails First Day Results As Ferrari Makes F1 Testing Debut

Lewis Hamilton has insisted Ferrari has a "solid foundation" to build from after a promising first day of Formula 1 testing with its SF-26.

The Scuderia waited until day two of the first pre-season test before running with its SF-26, having completed a short shakedown with its new machinery at its Fiorano test track last week.

Teams have gathered at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain this week for a private shakedown test, with fears over how they would get to grips with the new technical regulations, which have brought sweeping changes to the chassis, aerodynamics, and power units, meaning little information has been allowed out from behind closed doors.

Strong reliability for Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, 2026 F1 pre-season test — Scuderia Ferrari

But Ferrari has confirmed that it completed 121 laps on Tuesday with Charles Leclerc racking up 64 laps in the morning before handing over to seven-time champion Hamilton for the final four hours of the day.

That lap tally goes with a strong showing from Haas on Monday, when Esteban Ocon pumped in 154 laps in the VF-26, to underline a strong start for the new Ferrari power unit on the reliability front.

With wet weather early in the day, only Ferrari and Red Bull ran, but Hamilton was happy with the day that transpired.

"It was an intense but productive first day, especially with the mixed weather conditions," said the Briton. "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."

The rain makes for very nice shots indeed 📸🌧️ pic.twitter.com/QqKDPuTTII
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) January 27, 2026

Head of track engineering Matteo Togninalli added: "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."

Ferrari will be hoping the new era represents a reset for the team after a disappointing season in 2025, where it failed to secure a grand prix victory.

Hamilton took the only win of any kind in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint on what was just the second weekend of the 24-race schedule, while Leclerc collected a solitary pole position in Hungary.

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