Scuderia Ferrari HP officially began its on‑track program with the brand‑new SF‑26 during the second day of Formula 1’s group shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya. At exactly 9:00 a.m., Charles Leclerc rolled out of the garage, the pit‑lane light turning green to signal the start of a new chapter for the team.
Morning Session – Leclerc in the Wet
Morning Session – Leclerc in the WetLeclerc opened the day with an installation lap before returning for routine checks. Once cleared, he headed back out, logging 19 laps on the Medium C2 compound before heavy rain swept across the circuit. When conditions eased, the team switched to wet‑weather trim. Leclerc completed 15 laps on Full Wets and another 20 on Intermediates, gathering crucial data in the changing conditions. By lunch, the Monegasque had covered 64 laps, equivalent to 298 kilometers.
- Driver: Charles Leclerc (#16)
- Tires: C2, Full Wet, Intermediate
- Weather: Cloudy, wet, 6–10°C
Afternoon Session – Hamilton Takes Over
Shortly after 2:00 p.m., Lewis Hamilton climbed into the SF‑26. He began on Full Wets before quickly moving to Intermediates, completing 19 laps before another downpour forced him back to the garage. Once the rain eased, Hamilton returned to the track, adding 28 laps on Full Wets and finishing with another stint on Intermediates. His tally reached 57 laps, covering 265 kilometers.
- Driver: Lewis Hamilton (#44)
- Tires: Full Wet, Intermediate
- Weather: Cloudy, wet with rain, 11°C
By the end of the day, the SF‑26 had completed 121 laps in total, equivalent to around 560 kilometers—a strong and reassuring first outing for Ferrari’s new challenger.
Driver & Team Reactions
Charles Leclerc (#16): “It was good to be back in the car and to start learning a completely new package. Today was about system checks and understanding how everything works, rather than performance, especially with the mixed conditions. We completed our program and everything behaved as expected, which is a positive start and a solid base to build on.”
Lewis Hamilton (#44): “It was an intense but productive first day, especially with the mixed weather conditions. We managed to get good mileage on the car and gather a lot of useful information, which is important with such a big regulation change. There were no major issues and that gives us a solid foundation to keep learning and building over the next days.”
Matteo Togninalli, Head of Track Engineering: “Considering the conditions, it was a productive day for us. Despite the rain, we completed solid mileage and, most importantly, had no major reliability issues, which is the key priority with a new car and power unit. It’s still very early to talk about performance: the focus now is on understanding the car, learning its behavior and building knowledge step by step over the coming days.”