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Lewis Hamilton drops major first hint over 2026 Ferrari F1 car
Lewis Hamilton has delivered his verdict on the new generation of
F1 cars after topping the Barcelona pre-season shakedown, hinting
it could be a return to some of his strengths. Late on the final
day of running, Hamilton posted a 1:16.348 to set the quickest time
of the week as he looks to bounce back from the horror 2025 season
with Ferrari. Hamilton suffered the nadir of his career in his
first year at Ferrari, going without a podium all season as he
struggled to get to grips with the final ground effect era car, a
generation of machine he never clicked with. Hamilton's preferred
driving style of braking hard and early and sharply turning into a
corner - 'V-ing' - was at odds with the more 'roll the car into the
corner' approach required 'U-ing' by the 2022-2025 cars. Reflecting
on the first week in the new designs, Hamilton indicated that some
traits he previously enjoyed are back with the 2026-spec machines.
"Of course, there were small things, but we didn't really have any
downtime moments, where I am sure they could potentially come in
the next weeks, but otherwise, it's been a really, really solid
couple of days," Hamilton explained. "In terms of understanding the
car and the balance, we have a lot less downforce than in previous
years. "The car generation is actually a little bit more fun to
drive, it is oversteery, snappy and sliding, but it is easier to
catch, and I would definitely say more enjoyable. "But we
definitely have to improve, as everybody does, but we've had great
debriefs, everyone is really on it, and I feel like there is a
winning mentality in every single person in the team, more than
ever. "It's been a really enjoyable week, and a huge amount of work
was done over the winter on my personal side, and then what the
team have done to make changes going into the test. "It was an
unusual start to the week with a completely wet day, which is
something you would normally not opt for, but last year, the first
race was the first time I drove the Ferrari in the wet, and that
was very hard, so it was good to have that experience and get that
knowledge."
