Lewis Hamilton Will get Early Ferrari Expertise in Pirelli Tyre Take a look at at Barcelona
Lewis Hamilton has wasted no time in getting accustomed to Ferrari equipment, turning his first laps for the Scuderia ultimately week’s Pirelli tyre check in Barcelona. The seven-time world champion is making ready for his extremely anticipated 2025 change and has already racked up important mileage in his new atmosphere.
Transitioning from Mercedes after 12 years, the 40-year-old has needed to shortly adapt to a wholly new workforce, automobile, and operational construction. As a part of System 1’s *Testing of Earlier Automobiles* (TPC) programme, Hamilton was given the possibility to drive Ferrari’s 2023 SF-23 at Fiorano, the place over a thousand followers gathered to witness his debut in purple. His first on-track outings have included each non-public testing and participation within the official Pirelli tyre programme.
Throughout the Barcelona check, Hamilton suffered an early setback when he crashed at Flip 12 whereas lapping within the SF-23. Nevertheless, this didn’t deter him from getting again behind the wheel, and by Wednesday, he was as soon as once more driving for Ferrari on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This time, he joined forces along with his future teammate Charles Leclerc for Pirelli’s 2026 tyre check, which required them to run a modified model of Ferrari’s 2024-spec automobile.
Ferrari Launched ‘Excessive’ Aerodynamic Modifications for the Pirelli 2026 Tyre Take a look at
Hamilton’s first style of Ferrari’s 2024 challenger got here with a singular twist—Ferrari made in depth modifications to the automobile to assist simulate the 2026 regulation adjustments. It was the primary occasion of Pirelli testing its future tyres on a current-generation automobile tailored to resemble the upcoming engine and chassis laws.
As a part of this check, Ferrari launched a radical alteration to the automobile’s aerodynamics. In line with *The Race*, the Scuderia fitted Hamilton’s automobile with an unusually aggressive rear wing, described as a “fairly excessive” departure from customary configurations. Whereas Ferrari had beforehand opted for a high-downforce rear wing on the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, the automobile used for the tyre check featured a a lot lower-downforce model—much like the setup they employed at Monza, recognized for its high-speed traits.
Along with the rear wing adjustments, Ferrari additionally made notable modifications to the entrance wing to additional scale back downforce ranges. The revised entrance wing was primarily based on the model used in the course of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the place Carlos Sainz secured a podium end in third place, with Charles Leclerc ending fourth. The mix of those aerodynamic adjustments was geared toward mirroring among the anticipated traits of the 2026 laws whereas additionally aiding Pirelli’s ongoing improvement of future tyres.
Lewis Hamilton 1.788s Off Charles Leclerc’s Tempo in Barcelona Take a look at
Regardless of the numerous setup adjustments, Ferrari’s tyre check outcomes had been removed from reflective of true efficiency. Leclerc clocked the quickest lap of the session with a time of 1:14.971, whereas Hamilton’s quickest effort was a 1:16.759—putting him 1.788 seconds behind his teammate.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri additionally participated within the check, recording a finest lap of 1:15.815. Nevertheless, as with all tyre exams, lap instances maintain little significance as a result of unknown variables of gasoline hundreds, tyre compounds, and particular check run goals. Even so, these instances had been sooner than among the laps set in the course of the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.
For reference, Lando Norris took the quickest lap of the race in Barcelona final yr with a 1:17.115, whereas the Monegasque’s finest lap for Ferrari was a 1:17.897. Throughout qualifying, Charles Leclerc’s finest effort in Q3 was a 1:11.731—far faster than the instances posted within the tyre check however achieved underneath fully completely different situations.
Whereas the uncooked lap instances from the check could not inform the complete story, Hamilton’s early outings in Ferrari equipment have given him a beneficial head begin in adapting to his new environment. With extra exams and simulator classes forward, the Briton is laying the groundwork for what could possibly be a defining season in 2025.
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