The seven-time champion, who endured a difficult debut season with the Italian team, said working on Ferrari’s new car built for the sport’s revised engine and chassis rules had been “fascinating”.
Ferrari enters the season under pressure after failing to secure a race win 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’s new rules introduce a 50-50 split in the power units between internal combustion and electrical systems. The cars will feature active aerodynamics to support energy recovery for the battery, alongside fully sustainable fuel, while both cars and tyres will be smaller.
Credit: AP Photo/Darko Bandic
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 echoed that view, saying: “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.”
Ferrari’s new SF-26 ran for the first time at Fiorano on Friday, before heading to the first pre-season test, which will be held privately at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next week. Two further tests will follow in Bahrain in February.
Credit: SkySports Photo
Team principal Frederic Vasseur confirmed the car ran without issues at Fiorano but stressed 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 will attend the Barcelona test, and teams are limited to running on three of the five days. Vasseur added Ferrari will run on Tuesday before deciding which remaining days to 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.”
