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Lewis Hamilton eyes first 2026 F1 test after making winter break changes
racingnews365.com·

Lewis Hamilton eyes first 2026 F1 test after making winter break changes

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he is "massively excited" for next week’s first official test ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, after making several changes during the short winter break. The seven-time world champion enters the new power unit regulations on the back of a disastrous first campaign with Ferrari — the worst of his incredible F1 career. It left the 41-year-old in desperate need of the winter break, despite it being one of the shortest in the history of the sport. During his time away over the winter, Hamilton focused on completely resetting and ensuring he has the "right energy" around him, even if it meant "removing things." In addition to making changes himself, Ferrari recently announced that Hamilton would have a new race engineer for the upcoming season with Riccardo Adami moved into a different role. He drove Ferrari’s new SF-26 at its Fiorano test track on Friday following the car’s unveiling earlier in the day, with the veteran very much ready to get his 20th season underway. Looking ahead to the Barcelona test, Hamilton told F1 : "I mean, if you probably look at all my other interviews over the years, I’d never say that I get excited, but I’m massively excited — and I think it’s okay to say that, yeah, I’m excited for new beginnings. "It’s been such a focus on resetting and having a good break. Even though it was the shortest break we’ve ever had, I would say it was just what was needed.  "Yeah, I think it’s about undoing, learning new patterns, undoing old ones, removing things that don’t serve me or bring the right energy, and making sure you’re showing up in the right way. "So I’m excited about the first test. Obviously, in the shakedown I don’t get to push it, but it feels cool at Fiorano. Next week, we’ll start to try and stretch the legs and see what this new generation of car is going to bring to all of us. "And then it’s kind of like not knowing what other people have — what cars, what tricks other people may or may not have, and what concepts, all those sorts of things. I think for us, it’s just about keeping our heads down and focusing on our job."

Gabriel Bortoleto reveals 'useless' feeling as Audi preparations ramp up
racingnews365.com·

Gabriel Bortoleto reveals 'useless' feeling as Audi preparations ramp up

Gabriel Bortoleto has revealed he started to feel "useless" during Formula 1’s short winter break, as Audi’s preparations ramp up ahead of its debut. The Brazilian joined Sauber last season on a multi-year contract, with the 2024 Formula 2 champion viewed as a significant part of Audi’s future. He made strong strides during his rookie campaign, although the arrival of Audi has long been seen as Bortoleto’s opportunity to truly show his value. With three separate tests scheduled ahead of the F1 season opener in Australia, all 22 drivers were given an incredibly short winter break. For Bortoleto, even that proved too long, with the youngster eager to continue working with Audi ahead of its first season in the championship. Asked if he had time to reset, Bortoleto told select media, including RacingNews365 , at Audi’s launch: "It’s only my second season in F1. If I could, I wouldn’t even have a winter break. So for me, yeah, it was nice to spend a bit of time with family. "But I feel like after five days at home, I was already feeling a bit useless, that I was away from the factory and the team. And I was like, 'I want to go back. I want to start it again.'" Throughout the short winter break, simulator driving—both at home and at Audi’s factory—was something Bortoleto invested significant time in. The 21-year-old has always been a regular simulator driver at home, but he has ensured that not a single day was wasted preparing himself for the new power unit regulations. When asked how much time he had spent in the simulator, he added: "Oh, a lot. How many days? It’s difficult to say. Since last year, obviously we had a shutdown break. At home, I was in the sim every day. "But since I came back [on January 6], I think I did five days already, something like that. So obviously, a lot of events in between this. "So far, I haven’t really stopped much at home, but every time I can and I have free time to go to the team and work, I’m there."