The FIA found Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari in compliance with the F1 2026 regulations following an “extensive physical inspection” of the car’s rear-braking system after the Barcelona Grand Prix.
Hamilton claimed his first victory for Ferrari in Barcelona earlier this month, strengthening his grip on second place in the F1 2026 drivers’ standings.
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari SF-26 passes ‘extensive’ FIA inspection
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It marked the seven-time world champion’s first win in almost two years, stretching back to the Belgian Grand Prix in 2024, his final season with previous team Mercedes.
Hamilton’s triumph also saw Ferrari return to winning ways for the first time since the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix.
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As part of the FIA’s standard post-race procedure, Hamilton’s car was randomly selected among the top-10 cars for a closer inspection, focused on the rear-braking system of the SF-26.
In a note written by the FIA’s Formula 1 Technical Delegate Jo Bauer on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, it was confirmed that Hamilton’s car passed the checks in Spain.
Bauer wrote: “After the race in Barcelona, car number 44 was randomly chosen among the top ten cars for more extensive physical inspections.
“Subject to these physical inspections was the rear brake system.
“On the hardware side, checks were carried out in relation to Articles C11.1, C11.2 (rear only), C11.3 (rear only), C11.4, C11.5 and C11.6.
“On the electronics and software side, checks were carried out in relation to Articles C8.1, C8.2, C11.6 and FIA-F1-DOC-001:
“Brake control software registration and verification.
“Brake control software inspection for the interfaces to standard and custom software applications.
“Identification of sensor and their connections to the FIA standard ECU.
“Data logging of signals.
“Homologation status of sensors.
“FIA-F1-DOC-001 submissions.
“BBW FMEA.
“All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2026 Formula One Technical Regulations.”
A change to the brakes is understood to have been central to Hamilton’s much-improved F1 2026 season.
It emerged ahead of the Barcelona Grand Prix weekend that the seven-time world champion has been running brake discs produced by Carbone Industrie, the supplier he used during his dominant years with Mercedes.
Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc went on to switch to Carbone Industrie brake discs himself in Barcelona after complaining of the feel of his brakes during recent races.
The drivers’ switch to CI discs came despite Ferrari’s long-standing relationship with Brembo, which spans more than half a century.
It is understood that Hamilton and Leclerc’s use of Carbone Industrie materials has had no impact on Ferrari’s partnership with Brembo.
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