Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Ferrari “made some good discoveries” in the first Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain, after what was a productive week for the Scuderia.
Hamilton got his first true taste of the new F1 cars in the dry, and in warmer weather, after the damp and cold conditions he endured at ‘shakedown week’ in Barcelona previously.
The Brit will be hoping that the SF-26 is, in performance terms, a vast improvement on the 2025 predecessor, which left him with a podium-less season for the first time in his F1 career.
One takeaway from the week was that Ferrari has appeared to, at the very least, have produced a reliable car, with many laps logged, amid winter speculation that a bold move to use steel alloy heads for its engine would be a potential gamble on that front.
Whilst teams are still appearing to be keeping their respective powders dry, early indications suggest that Ferrari is, in terms of position, where it was in 2025 – fourth place.
But with speculation rife about Mercedes’ potential sandbagging and the impressive pace shown by Red Bull and its first-ever in-house powertrain, Hamilton seemed to have his glass very much half-full when reflecting on the first testing week in Bahrain.
“It’s been a positive week overall,” the seven-time World Champion said.
“We completed a lot of laps and went through the full programme, which allowed us to gather plenty of useful data and learn more about the car.
“The SF-26 has felt generally good, but this generation of car is quite complex and finding the right operating window, especially with the tyres, is key.
“We’ve made some good discoveries and also identified areas where we can improve.
“We still have another test ahead of us, which will be important to build on what we’ve learned and continue making progress.”
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