Hamilton delighted with ‘amazing’ Thursday mileage in Barcelona

Lewis Hamilton finally unleashed Ferrari’s SF-26 in the dry on Thursday in Barcelona, racking up a trouble-free 87 laps and hailing the healthy mileage as nothing short of “amazing”.

Following a rain-soaked Tuesday that the Briton described as “miserable,” the seven-time world champion was able to gather crucial data on the day.

Lap after lap, Hamilton pushed the Scuderia’s new-era machine around the Circuit de Catalunya and a bit to further understand the tyres, aero balance, and the revamped hybrid power unit, while Ferrari’s engineers soaked up insights from his feedback.

Asked if Ferrari was hitting its internal targets, Hamilton was hesitant but was nevertheless quick to credit the technical wizards back in Maranello.

“Um, I don't know, I think we're probably... When you come to the test, you always want to get a lot of mileage, like today I did 85 laps in the morning, which is amazing,” he told F1.

The contrast to previous years hasn't been lost on the veteran champion.

“And that's really down to all the people at the factory who've done such a great job to make sure the car so far is really reliable,” he continued.

“Last year we had a worse start to testing, so considering it's a completely new band of rules, it's better than we've experienced in the past. So I'm really hopeful that continues.”

Making Sense of the SF-26

Thursday marked Hamilton’s first representative mileage in the SF-26 on a dry track. Before Barcelona, the car had only completed a short 15km shakedown at Fiorano, so this session was a critical step in understanding how the new regulations and car design translate on the tarmac.

“It was great to be able to get some running and understand the tyres,” he said, reflecting on his morning work.

“We did the C2 and the C1, so cold that the tyres are not really working so much, but got through our programme, and a bit of an understanding of where the car is at and where we need to improve.”

• Read also: Leclerc ‘very excited’ – eager to bring Ferrari back on top

With chilly winter conditions limiting grip, the focus was not on raw speed but on sensation and learning.
Each lap gave Hamilton insight into how the tyres behave, how the SF-26 manages energy, and where Ferrari can refine the car before the official tests begin.

Learning Through Teamwork

As scheduled, Charles Leclerc took over the SF-26 for the afternoon, while Hamilton observed from the pit wall. Far from idle, the seven-time champion used the time to listen, compare, and plan with his team.

“For us it's, still continue to try and get as much mileage and knowledge on this engine and on the car and the aero side,” he explained.

“So there'll be lots. We went through a program this morning, found some learnings. Charles is doing a different set this afternoon, which is great.

“My role is to, like, listen as much as possible. At the end of the day, we both come together and we both talk about our problems and the positives and the negatives. Then we'll come up with a plan of like what we want to tackle tomorrow as our last day.

“But already, we've got good data so far. So it's just understanding that and making sure you're making really clear and concise decisions in terms of what to test moving forwards before we get to Bahrain.”

The back-and-forth between Hamilton and Leclerc is already helping Ferrari accelerate their understanding of the SF-26 under the new rules, creating a foundation for efficient development before next month’s full pre-season tests in Bahrain.

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