Lewis Hamilton took on driving duties for Scuderia Ferrari HP for the entire penultimate day of the second pre-season test. At the wheel of the SF-26, the Englishman completed 84 laps, equivalent to 455 km, continuing with the development and data acquisition programme.

Morning. Lewis went out on track during the first hour, on C3 compound tyres, running a series of tests to evaluate new aero solutions. During the session, the car had a technical problem which required a long time to fix. Once the work was completed, Hamilton went back out on track, also carrying out a few practice starts from the grid, prior to the lunch break.

Afternoon. After the break, work resumed, again on C3 tyres, before switching to the two hardest compounds in the range, the C2 and C1. Lewis did some long runs, evaluating several set-up options and assessing how the tyres behaved as the track gradually rubbered-in more, while the temperatures dropped. Towards the end of the day, Lewis fitted several new sets of C3 tyres, setting his best time of 1’33”408. Tomorrow is the final day of testing before the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship gets underway in Australia.

Lewis Hamilton #44

It was not a perfect day for the team, as we weren’t able to complete everything we had planned. That said, it was a great testament to everyone’s hard work, doing a fantastic job fixing the car and getting me back out on track. I’m really grateful for the laps we were able to complete, and the data we gathered will be important as we continue to prepare for the season.