Lewis Hamilton described the 2026 Formula 1 season as “a huge challenge” as Ferrari launched their new car.
The seven-time champion, who had a difficult debut season with the Italian team, said working on the new car produced by Ferrari for the sport’s new engine and chassis rules had been “fascinating”.
Ferrari are under pressure to perform competitively this season after failing to win a race in 2025.
Hamilton said: “It will be an extremely important year from a technical perspective, with the driver playing a central role in energy management, understanding the new systems and contributing to the car’s development.”
F1 has introduced new rules centred on a 50-50 split in the power-units between the internal combustion and electrical sides of the hybrid engines.
The cars will have active aerodynamics to enable sufficient energy recovery for the battery, while fully sustainable fuel has been mandated, and the cars and tyres are smaller.
The 41-year-old Briton added: “The 2026 season represents a huge challenge for everyone, probably the biggest regulation change I have experienced in my career.
“When a new era begins everything revolves around development, growth as a team, and moving forward in the same direction.”
Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc said: “The 2026 regulations demand an even higher level of preparation, particularly for us drivers. There are many new systems to understand and optimise, which is why we have been heavily involved from the early stages of the project’s development.
“Energy management and the power unit will be among the most significant aspects – a fascinating challenge which will require us drivers to adapt quickly, relying more on instinct to begin with, and then increasingly on precise data.”
The new SF-26 car ran for the first time at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track on Friday, before heading to the first pre-season test, which will be held in private at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next week.
There are then two further tests in Bahrain in February.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur said the car ran without problems at Fiorano but said it was “too early for expectations”.
“We will see performance in Melbourne (at the first race of the season on 6-8 March),” Vasseur said. “But the season won’t be over in Melbourne. There will be a lot of development through the year, more than in the last two years.
“The target in Barcelona will be to get maximum data on the car and then we start the development from Bahrain onwards.”
No independent media are allowed at the Barcelona test and teams can run on a maximum of three of the five days.
Vasseur said Ferrari would run for the first time on Tuesday in Barcelona and decide afterwards which two of the three remaining days they would use.
Ferrari technical director Loic Serra said: “We dedicated significant time to the concept phase to capture as much as possible of the new regulatory and technical context.
“We also had to ensure that the car’s architecture would allow us enough flexibility for in-season development. In this environment, efficiency and the integration of features like active aerodynamics are crucial.” – BBC Sport